Elijah's Realization
by Alauralen
Summary: I couldn't help but wonder what Elijah's reaction the events in the season finale would be. So I decided to write how I think it will go. Warning, spoilers for the finale. If you haven't watched and don't want to be spoiled, don't read. Elena/Elijah.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own anything involving The Vampire Diaries.

* * *

Rebekah knows where Elijah will be and goes to him at vampire speed. He will not be happy with her, but he needs to know what she's done for him – for all of them.

She arrives at the storage facility where Klaus' remains were kept. Elijah is just getting out of his car. Taking a deep breath, she gathers her courage and follows him inside.

"Elijah," she called to him just before he reached his destination.

He turned around to face her, confusion filling his face. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed to split up to make it harder for Alaric to find us."

"We don't have to run anymore, Elijah. We don't ever need to be apart again. Our remaining family can be together always and forever, just as Nic wanted." She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted him to realize what her words meant.

Apparently, he didn't as he features softened toward her. "Rebekah, as much as I want that to happen, it cannot. Not now, at least."

She sighed, hoping he would still want that once she revealed what she'd done. She prayed to any deity that would listen to a vampire that Elijah would forgive her. "The hunter is dead, Elijah. He won't ever come after us again. I made sure of it."

Once more confusion filled his face, tinted with annoyance. "You couldn't kill him, Rebekah. None of us can kill him, mother made certain of that. The only way he dies is if Elena…" he trailed off. His expression changed rapidly from confusion to realization and horror.

In a flash, Elijah had Rebekah pinned to a wall by her throat. The wall behind, between two of the storage lockers, cracked from the force of her body's impact. She had never before been afraid of her brother, but she was now.

"What did you do, Rebekah?"

She shuddered at the inflection in his voice. She'd heard it before. Never had it been directed at her, that deadly, cold tone. It was reserved for his enemies just before he killed them. She panicked, tears filling her eyes as her heart began to pound in her chest. She had to explain herself quickly.

"Elijah, please, I had to! I can't stand the thought of losing you or Kol! We've already lost Finn and Nicklaus; I can't lose you, too!" She began to sob, her fears for her brothers' lives, her grief for those she lost, crashed into her with more force than she could handle.

* * *

The sight of her tears, her sobs, and her words brought him back from the rage and grief that had threatened to consume him seconds before. He released her and pulled her to his chest, stroking her hair. His own tears clouded his vision as he looked over her head while she clung to him. After everything he had done to ensure the safety of his family, after what he had done to Elena, how could he fault Rebekah for trying to protect the last of them? She was a younger sibling, following the example of her older brother.

Guilt began to eat at him, threatening to break him further, but he pushed it back. He needed to be strong for Rebekah and Kol. But first, he needed to know how Elena had died and he knew he would need control when Rebekah told him. He didn't want to hurt her, though he knew that might change when she confessed her actions.

Once he felt he could handle whatever she said, he pushed her back and took a step away. Her eyes were puffy and red, cheeks tear stained. It tugged at his heart to see her in so much pain, but his resolve didn't waver.

"What happened, Rebekah?"

She looked into his eyes before looking down at the floor. He steeled himself for her response. If she couldn't meet his gaze, whatever she had done was going to be hard to hear.

"As you know, Jeremy and Matt had gotten Elena out of town. She was heading back with Matt. I was filled with anger and pain and I blamed her. If she had died with her parents, then none of this would have ever happened." She paused and took a deep breath. Rebekah dared a look up at Elijah to see his jaw tense at what she said. She hurried on before her courage ran out. "I stood on Wickery Bridge and called Stefan when I heard Matt's truck getting close. I told him that because Nic was dead, the deal you made was off. I told him I didn't want to run anymore. He knew what I was planning on doing. I hung up on him as the truck started onto the bridge and stepped in front of it. Matt swerved to avoid hitting me and his truck went into the lake." She looked back up at Elijah. His eyes were filled with betrayal and pain.

Elijah closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. His sister had killed Elena the same way she'd almost died before. He knew she still had nightmares of drowning. He'd heard them when he was keeping watch over her before the sacrifice. He never let her know he was there, but had longed to comfort her when she woke up crying. He'd known that, regardless of how he felt about her, she didn't feel the same and would not have welcomed comfort from him. Rather, she would have been embarrassed and incensed that he'd dared to come close enough to see her at her weakest.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. A spark of hope lit in his chest. "You called Stefan?" She nodded. "Then perhaps he saved her."

Rebekah slowly shook her head no. "He did arrive quite fast, but it wasn't Elena he pulled up first. It was Matt. By the time he made sure Matt was breathing and going to live and went back in to get Elena, it was too late."

Elijah closed his eyes again. Of course Elena would tell Stefan to save her friend before herself. For the first time, he wished Damon had been with her instead of Stefan. Damon wouldn't have cared what she wanted and would have saved her, kicking, screaming, and hating him, but she'd be alive. As quickly as he wished it, he dismissed the thought. Elena was very strong, but he wasn't sure if she would survive the loss of another friend.

Rebekah's heart broke for her brother and fresh tears filled her eyes. She knew he had feelings for the doppelganger, but she hadn't realized how strong they were until today. She cautiously raised a comforting hand to his arm. His eyes snapped open to look at her. "Stefan had called for emergency help before, or as, he came to help. They arrived soon after he did. They took her body to the morgue at the hospital in Mystic Falls. I can get Nic's coffin if you want to go and tell her goodbye."

Elijah nodded. "First I want to see if Alaric died here or elsewhere. We still need that stake."

He abruptly turned and walked back to the room where Klaus' casket remained. He saw the hunter laid out on the floor, covered in grey skin and veins. Most definitely dead and the final glimmer of his hope died. Pain, grief, and guilt filled him, but once again, he pushed it back. He could feel all of it later, when alone with her body. Right now, he had to ensure that her sacrifice was not in vain.

He walked quickly to Alaric, knelt down beside him and searched him. The stake was no longer there. He and Rebekah quickly searched the room to no avail.

"Damon must have taken it after Alaric died." Rebekah looked at Elijah with fear.

"Yes, he would have known that Elena was dead when Alaric died. I'm sure he took it to kill us and avenge her."

The gull of the young vampire never ceased to amaze him. He had to know that he would not be able to kill any of them and would die in the attempt. But he also knew that Damon was in as much pain as he was and that he tended to do very stupid things when upset. He had no doubt that, as ill-advised as it may be, Damon would try to attack one of them.

"Rebekah, get Klaus somewhere safe. I'm going to get the stake back and pay my respects to Elena." His voice betrayed him more than he would have liked as he spoke her name, but his sister didn't seem to notice.

"Please be careful, Elijah, promise me!" She grabbed him and looked into his eyes with tears and desperation in hers.

"I will be careful, I promise." She looked relieved and went to walk away, back toward the casket. "Rebekah," he called after her. She froze and turned back to face him. "Though I do understand why you did what you did, it may be some time before I can forgive you for it. Not only did you kill her in a way that has haunted her, but you broke my word to her. After all that Elena and I have done to each other for our families, she still found it in herself to trust me and you betrayed us both. You may not have cared about her word, but you should have respected mine."

With those parting words, Elijah was gone. Rebekah walked over to Klaus' coffin and collapsed next to it and let her tears once again flow free.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still do not own The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, alert, and/or favorite this story! You guys are awesome and I promise to get back to each reviewer. Elijah finds out about her vampire status in this chapter.

* * *

Elijah got into his car and headed back to Mystic Falls. He remembered how surprised she had been when he entered her house after being gone so long and just looked at her. He just stood there to drink in the sight of her face until she called for Stefan and Matt. He remembered her expression as she gauged whether or not she should trust him after their last encounter. He remembered the elation he felt when she once again put her faith in him, to the chagrin of her friends and family. And once again, he'd failed her. This time, though, the consequences of his actions were permanent. She was gone and there was no way he could ever make this up to her. Guilt, grief, and bitterness threatened to consume him.

He drove automatically, so consumed in his thoughts that he was not really conscious of what he was doing. Not until he was pulling into the parking lot of the hospital. The same parking lot where he had not so long ago saved Elena from his sister. He should have known from that experience that Rebekah would try to kill her again. He'd been a fool not to see this coming.

With a sigh, he schooled his face back into his usual mask before exiting his car and heading into the hospital.

* * *

Meredith Fell was conferring with one of the other doctors, telling him pertinent information about one of her patients. He would soon be taking over the majority of her patient load once the Medical Board got in touch with her about her suspension.

After her confrontation with Alaric, she had called the former sheriff, Liz Forbes, to verify that all of them had indeed been outed. A tearful Liz had confirmed her worst fears and informed her that she and Carol Lockwood had been relieved of their duties. Both women had been forced to send their children away to prevent them from being killed.

As she turned away from her colleague, she saw a familiar, if not alarming figure, striding down the hall. She had never personally met him, but she knew who he was without a doubt. Elijah Mikealson. Meredith felt fear begin to course through her veins at the very imposing sight of him, but the fear was tempered with anger.

Looking around the hall to be sure that there were plenty of people around, she moved to intercept him.

"Almost draining her and then drowning her isn't enough for you? Coming to finish off what the rest of your family started?" Fairly certain that he wouldn't harm her with witnesses present, she let every bit of rage she felt into her voice like venom.

He came to an abrupt halt in front of her, eyes narrowing dangerously. She felt akin to a small bug under a cruel child's stare, just before they got squashed. She shivered in fear, wondering if perhaps this hadn't been the smartest move, witnesses or no.

* * *

Elijah looked down at the fearful but enraged doctor who had intentionally placed herself in his path. He remembered her from the day he had kidnapped Elena and forced the Salvatores to help him stop Ester's ritual. She had helped a human Alaric to dagger Kol in an attempt prevent them from stopping his mother. He'd learned her name was Dr. Meredith Fell. He wondered if she knew that he was aware of whom she was.

He suddenly realized exactly what she'd said. "Coming to finish off what your family started?" How could he finish Elena off? She was already dead. He'd seen the evidence of that for himself in the deceased body of Alaric. He assumed that she'd be on vervain, so he'd have to go about getting answers directly.

"I assure you that I have never meant Elena any harm. Had I known what either of my siblings were up to, I would have put a stop to it."

She snorted in disbelief. "Right, because you've never kidnapped her or threatened her life to save your own skin and that of your family's. Now because of all of you, Elena's," she paused and looked around to make sure that the others around her weren't close enough to hear her and whispered, "a vampire."

Elijah felt his carefully crafted mask slip, revealing his shock. Who had turned her? He would have bet it was Damon, but he knew that he had been nowhere near her before her death. He partially recovered his composure before stepping menacingly toward her.

"What do you mean she's a vampire?"

* * *

Meredith watched the utter surprise break across his composed face. _Oh, God, he didn't know_, she thought. She saw him struggling to regain his composure as he took a sinister step closer. Automatically retreating a step back, she swallowed as her heart lodged in her throat. His dark eyes were glittering with anger.

"What do you mean she's a vampire?"

She tried to gather her rapidly receding courage, hoping that he wouldn't snap her in two. She sincerely doubted that the attention of onlookers would stop him at this point.

"While Tyler Lockwood was trying to save Elena, Klaus attacked him. In the process, she was thrown backward and her head hit a table. She lost consciousness for a while and didn't come to until Klaus was almost completely desiccated. No one thought she was seriously hurt, other than the blood loss. Jeremy found her passed out and bleeding from her nose after the Salvatores left to deal with your brother's body. He called 911 and had her rushed here." She paused when a pained expression momentarily crossed his face and wondered if it was because Elena had been hurt so badly, or because of Klaus' desiccation and death.

"Continue," he said. It may have sounded like a polite request, but she was certain it was more of a demand.

"Jeremy was so terrified that she was going to die and after he'd just lost Alaric, I didn't want to worry him further. I didn't tell him what was really wrong with her," she admitted hesitantly.

"What exactly was the extent of her injuries?" He sounded almost hesitant to her, as if he were afraid of what she would reveal to him.

"She had a cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding in her brain. After all the blood Klaus had already taken from her, she was dying. I helped her by giving her vampire blood that I kept stashed away. I use it on my patients when nothing else will save them."

She lifted her chin defiantly. She had already lost everything because she cheated, but she refused to feel guilty about helping people. It was her job, the whole reason she'd gone into medicine in the first place. She'd be damned if she'd let anyone, including him, try to get her to regret her choice to save lives and keep families together.

* * *

Though Elijah was sure he probably didn't want to know how badly his brother had hurt her, he needed to. He needed to in the same way that anyone wanted to know exactly how a loved one had been harmed. Regardless of how difficult it was to hear.

"She had a cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding in her brain. After all the blood Klaus had already taken from her, she was dying. I helped her by giving her vampire blood that I kept stashed away. I use it on my patients when nothing else will save them."

He listened to her and watched her daringly lift her chin in defiance in spite of her fear. Any other time he'd be impressed with her. Right now, however, he was furious with her.

"You do know that she never wanted to become a vampire?" He used his coldest, most dangerous tone of voice and watched her tremble with fear.

"I thought she would be safe. I had no idea that this would happen. If you or any of her friends – Damon, Stefan, Caroline, or Tyler – had found her dying, would any of you have hesitated to give her your blood to heal her?"

He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that none of them would have hesitated to heal her, himself included. However, he remained silent, not acknowledging this fact. She must have taken his lack of response as an admission.

"Then you understand why I did what I did to save her." It was said with barely a whisper, but he heard her clearly. He watched her struggle for a moment with both guilt and conviction. "At least she is still here for Jeremy and everyone else that loves her," she said finally.

He sighed, no longer feeling the need to inflict serious damage on her. He did understand her and he was secretly glad that Elena was still here, even if it was as the one thing she never wanted to be.

He nodded once to her and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she called out to him. He looked back at her. "Please don't hurt her." Tears had formed in her eyes at the thought.

"I never intended to," he admitted honestly, looking her in the eye so she would know he was sincere.

Relief washed over her features. He left the way he'd come and got into his car. He needed to see her. Would she complete the transition? He frowned, knowing that if Damon and Stefan were with her, which he knew they would be, then she wouldn't have a choice. Damon would force feed her blood and Stefan would be too filled with guilt to stop him. With this line of reasoning he concluded that she would be at the Boarding House and headed in that direction.

* * *

Okay, next chapter is Elijah and Elena. Sorry to not have included it yet, but I figured I should walk through how, when, and from who Elijah found everything out. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own and never will.

Author's note: Once again, thank you for all the wonderful reviews and anyone who took the time to alert or favorite this story! You're all wonderful!

* * *

Elijah stopped his car some distance from the Boarding House, not wanting any vampires there to know of his presence until he was ready to reveal it. He wanted to know the full extent of what was going on before making his entrance. He made it to the edge of the trees surrounding the building and listened to the conversation, or argument rather, that was in full swing.

"Stefan, she can't survive eating squirrels forever! Or would you prefer if she never learns to live as a real vampire and flies off the handle and becomes a ripper?" _Like you_ wasn't said, but most definitely implied.

"Elena wouldn't do that! She never wanted to be a vampire, Damon! She doesn't want to live on human blood! She has another option!"

"Stefan, Damon, please, don't I get a say…" Elena started before being promptly cut off as both brothers ignored her interruption to continue arguing.

Elijah clenched his jaw and fists, growing angry at their apparent refusal to listen to any of her views on the subject of how _she_ should live. Not that it surprised him in the least. Neither had ever really taken her seriously, though Stefan had been more willing to allow her to make her own choices before. This seemed to no longer be the case. These young vampires were now sure they each knew what was best for her and that she was incapable of making any decisions about the matter on her own.

"Oh, whatever, Stefan! If she doesn't learn to control the blood lust, then she will attack someone! How do you think Elena would handle knowing she killed a person?"

"That's it! I've heard enough! I'm going to one of the guest rooms! When the two of you figure out how _I'm_ going to live as a vampire, let me know!" He listened to Elena scream at them. He'd never heard her so angry before. Her heightened emotions were definitely making themselves known.

"Elena, wait, we're just trying to find a way to help…" Stefan began in a placating tone.

"No! I said I don't want to hear anymore! Do **not **follow me! I don't even want to _see_ the two of you right now!"

* * *

It was like she was watching a tennis or volleyball match the way she kept looking back and forth between Damon and Stefan as they argued about how she was going to live her undead life. Elena's anger grew at how neither of them bothered to ask _her_ what her own opinion on the subject was. As her fury mounted, she tried her best to control it, not wanting to lash out.

"Stefan, Damon, please, don't I get a say…" Elena started before Damon cut her off.

It was her breaking point. She practically saw red as her anger turned swiftly to rage. She couldn't even pay attention to what Damon was saying in her sudden fury.

"That's it! I've heard enough! I'm going to one of the guest rooms! When the two of you figure out how _I'm_ going to live as a vampire, let me know!" she screamed. She rose from the couch and headed toward the stairs.

"Elena, wait, we're just trying to find a way to help…" Stefan began in a placating, and to her, an utterly condescending tone.

"No! I said I don't want to hear anymore! Do **not** follow me! I don't even want to _see_ the two of you right now!" She was so angry, she was sure that if they followed she'd kill them without a bit of remorse.

She stormed up the stairs and went to the guest room that was the furthest away from their rooms or the stairs. But she could still hear them fighting, now over whose fault it was that she got pissed. Damn vampire hearing! She had to get out, she had to get away and calm down. She knew she'd never get past them to the front door. She was lucky they'd heeded her warning to stay away from her.

Glancing around the room, she spotted the window. Walking over to it, she opened it and looked down. It was quite a drop. Elena laughed at herself. She was a freaking _vampire_, jumping down couldn't hurt her. Grief for her human life filled her, choking her, and she sobbed before jumping. She hit the ground with barely a whisper, amazed at how she didn't even really feel the impact. But the fact made her vampire status all the more real and she began crying in earnest while taking off into the woods.

* * *

Elijah watched as she opened one of the windows on an upper floor and looked down. She seemed to hesitate before she laughed. However, her laugh quickly turned into a sob before she launched herself out the window to freedom. A surprised looked overcame her face. It fell as swiftly as it had appeared and she began to cry, running off into the woods. His heart ached at her sadness and he pursued her.

He found her about a mile away from the Boarding House. She was kneeling on the ground, her arms wrapped around her, and crying gut wrenching sobs. It hurt him, not just emotionally, but a physical ache to see her in so much agony. A pain that had been caused by his family and himself.

He wanted to comfort her, to take her into his arms and assure her that everything would be alright. However, considering that her current state was partially his fault, he didn't think she would welcome it. He settled for calling out her name.

Elena's reaction was instantaneous. Her crying stopped and she slowly turned to look at him. The betrayal and pain in her eyes was palatable and his guilt increased tenfold. He didn't even try to hide his remorse from her. The look on her face was quickly replaced by rage and her eyes turned red, veins of her inner demon creeping across her face, and fangs descended.

She was in front of him in a flash hissing, pushing, and hitting him. Elijah allowed her to vent her rage; it was the least he deserved. His back hit a tree as he was backed up by her continued assault. Then the shouting started.

"How could you let this happen? You _promised_ me you'd control her! Where the hell _were_ you? How could you leave me without taking her with you? You know how much she hates me! You knew, Elijah!"

She was now gripping his suit jacket, looking at him with pleading, accusing eyes.

"Elena, I would never have left you if I thought that Rebekah wouldn't honor our agreement. I would have made sure you were safe and taken her with me once I had." He tucked her hair, wild from her attack, behind her ear before cupping her face in his hand. "You have to know I would never truly hurt you or allow any harm to come to you if I could prevent it in any way." He looked deep into her eyes as he spoke, letting her see all the emotions he usually hid from her, allowing her to see just how genuine his words were.

After a moment of meeting his gaze, she closed her eyes and he felt the fight drain away from her. Her vampire features receded as she calmed. Tears escaped from her eyes as she sagged against him, losing her strength with her anger. He wrapped his arms around her and slid down the tree to the ground, cradling her close. She clung to him, silent tears still rolls down her face.

"I see you chose to transition." He wasn't sure exactly what to say, but wanted to know if it had been her choice or if that, too, had been made for her.

She laughed bitterly. "You think I had a choice with Damon there?"

"No, but I had hoped that they would give you the option of making the decision for yourself." As much as he had suspected that this had been the case, he wished he'd been wrong. His anger at the Salvatores grew, but he couldn't help his curiosity. "Did he force you to drink?"

"No, not exactly. He handed me a blood bag with a look that told me he would force it down my throat if I didn't drink it willingly." She sighed with resignation.

He wondered if she was too drained from the stresses of the last few hours to work up the energy to be angry anymore.

"If you had been given the choice, would you have gone through with it or died?" He wasn't sure if he wanted the answer or not. His memory of how it had felt when he had thought she was gone was fresh in his mind. It would hurt a great deal to know that she'd rather be dead than here.

She didn't answer him right away, considering it deeply. "Yes, I would have. I couldn't leave Jeremy alone like that. Not just for him, though. So many people have been hurt or died to keep me alive. If I let myself die, it would have felt like I wasn't honoring all their sacrifices, like they would have all been hurt for me to just give up."

He was once again amazed by her selflessness. She wouldn't have turned for herself, but for all her loved ones, present and gone.

She suddenly looked up at him with curious eyes. "If you had been there, would you have let me make the decision?"

He was taken aback at the question. Didn't she already know the answer to that? He'd always respected her decisions, even if he didn't agree with her. Perhaps she did know, but just needed the confirmation.

"Yes, I would have let you chose. I may have tried to persuade you, but would have ultimately respected whatever choice you made."

"Even if I decided to die?"

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Looking down into her eyes, he replied, "Even if you decided to die. I would have stayed with you until the very end and supported you until you were gone."

Tears once again began to fall. "Thank you."

He pulled her closer as she began to cry again. To his surprise, she climbed into his lap, straddling him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. There was nothing sexual about the move, she just needed to be closer to him, to the comfort he was providing. He tightened one arm around her, his other hand stoking her back and hair as her tears slid down his neck and soaked into his collar.

* * *

Elena wasn't exactly sure how it happened. One minute she was alone, grieving over everything she had lost when she lost her life, the next she heard Elijah calling her name, and then she was attacking him in a fury. The guilt in his eyes had pushed her past betrayal and straight into rage. He _knew_ what Rebekah had done, he _knew_ what she was.

In the back of her mind, she knew he could stop her; he was much stronger than she was, but he let her rage against him. It made her doubt that he had known before Rebekah killed her what she was going to do. So she began screaming questions at him, suddenly desperate to know why he hadn't been there for her.

"Elena, I would never have left you if I thought that Rebekah wouldn't honor our agreement. I would have made sure you were safe and taken her with me once I had." He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. His touch was gentle as he cupped her face in his hand. "You have to know I would never truly hurt you or allow any harm to come to you if I could prevent it in any way."

He was staring into her eyes with none of his usual walls up. She could clearly see his pain, guilt, and how much he truly cared about her. Elena believed him without a doubt in her mind. She closed her eyes as her anger faded away along the strength it had brought her. Elena felt the veins on her face disappear and her fangs slide up into her gums and wondered if she'd ever get used to the feeling. She sagged against him, letting his arms wrap around her. She was surprised at how much his obvious power made her feel safe and protected as opposed to the fear and dread it most assuredly provoked in others.

He surprised her more as he slid down the tree trunk, probably ruining his suit by sitting on the ground, and gently taking her with him. He continued to hold her while asking questions about her transition, wanting to know if she had been forced or not. She answered honestly, wondering what he would have done to Damon if he'd actually forced blood down her throat. As it was, Elijah didn't seem pleased with his behavior on the matter.

She found herself asking him the question that was burning in her mind.

Looking up at him to gauge his reaction, she asked, "If you had been there, would you have let me make the decision?"

He looked down at her with surprise, as though she should already know his answer. "Yes, I would have let you chose. I may have tried to persuade you, but would have ultimately respected whatever choice you made."

"Even if I decided to die?" She needed him to answer this question definitively; she needed to know that someone respected her enough to let her make the choice.

She watched him swallow thickly as if trying to push down his pain physically. He looked deep into her eyes, his filled with so many emotions she couldn't read them all.

"Even if you decided to die. I would have stayed with you until the very end and supported you until you were gone."

Grateful tears burned in her eyes. "Thank you."

She couldn't help but begin to cry again, she was feeling far too many emotions. Elena knew she would never turn off the emotional switch, but she now most certainly saw the appeal. She felt Elijah's arms tighten around her and before she could think of what she was doing she was straddling him. He took it in stride and didn't push her away while she cried into his neck, further ruining his suit. He didn't seem to care as one arm wrapped around her waist to pull her against him the other hand running soothingly over her back and through her hair.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything related to The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you to all the awesome people who have taken the time to review, alert, and/or favorite this story! Your support means a great deal to me! Hugs and cookies to all!

* * *

_Grateful tears burned in her eyes. "Thank you."_

_She couldn't help but begin to cry again, she was feeling far too many emotions. Elena knew she would never turn off the emotional switch, but she now most certainly saw the appeal. She felt Elijah's arms tighten around her and before she could think of what she was doing she was straddling him. He took it in stride and didn't push her away while she cried into his neck, further ruining his suit. He didn't seem to care as one arm wrapped around her waist to pull her against him the other hand running soothingly over her back and through her hair._

Elena quieted in Elijah's arms, lulled by his presence and the feel of his hand moving over her hair. She didn't move from her position and could smell him, his blood pulsing just beneath the surface of his neck. He smelled ancient and powerful and _delicious_. She felt the overwhelming hunger hit her and her fangs descended. A tiny part of her mind that wasn't completely consumed in blood lust warned her to stop, to get away, that this was dangerous with him, but it was soon drowned out.

She kissed the vein pulsing so tantalizingly close to her mouth and her tongue snaked out to lick his skin. She felt his entire body tense beneath her, but ignored it. How had she never realized how good he smelled, how good he would _taste_? She eagerly bit into his flesh and heard him gasp. Elena gulped the warm fluid down greedily and growled in frustration when the wound closed far too quickly.

She heard him groan and felt his arms tighten around her as she tore back into his neck, needing more. She needed to devour all of him, to feel every inch of him. She slid further up his legs, further into his lap, and rolled her hips down on the growing bulge there. She moaned at the contact and kept grinding against his hardness while continuing to drink in his blood, tearing back open the wound every time it closed. She was no longer Elena, just a bundle of all consuming hunger and lust and need, completely overwhelmed by the darkness that now resided within.

* * *

Elijah felt Elena calm down slowly and relax against him. Her breathing deepened and he would have thought she'd fallen asleep if her heart beat hadn't started to accelerate. His body stiffened in surprise when he felt her kiss his neck before licking it with her warm, wet tongue. In that second, he knew exactly what she was going to do. But before he could grab her and pull her away, her fangs sank deeply into his neck and he couldn't help but gasp at the pain mixed with pleasure.

He felt his wound close and heard her growl of frustration. His arms crushed her against him of their own accord when she tore her fangs back into him. He couldn't stop the groan that erupted from him as lust shot through him. No one had ever dared to feed on him without his permission, yet Elena, so caught up in her transition, hadn't thought twice about it. As much as he knew it shouldn't, her willingness to take from him with such desperation turned him on all the more.

When Elena had first moved to straddle him, she'd been careful not to touch him in any intimate way. However, she now slid fully into his lap and ground against his rapidly growing hardness. He could smell her heady arousal in the air and almost lost control, taking her then and there. The woman he cared so much for wanted and needed him with her whole being right now.

But reason won out over his own want and need. It was only _right now_ that she wanted this from him. When she came down from her blood and lust high she would be mortified, feeling as though she'd betrayed her Salvatores and lost his respect. He doubted she could ever do anything to make his feelings for her change, but she would never believe him. If she ever forgave him for taking advantage of her in this state, she would never forgive herself. Ironically, he didn't even think if this went any further she would blame him. He couldn't do this to her, he'd hurt her enough.

Elijah pried her off of him as gently as he could, not wanting to hurt her. However, Elena now had vampire strength and though he was a lot stronger, he had to use considerable force to remove her. He had a hold on her upper arms and once he removed Elena's fangs from his neck and moved her back, he also pushed her body further down his thighs, away for his straining erection. She struggled against him, trying to move back into place and continue. He held her firmly where he had placed her and looked at her for a few moments. Her vampire features were still showing and his blood trailed in a small line down her chin from the corner of her mouth. His heart ached that she had unwillingly become this, but he couldn't deny that he still found her beautiful, even in her current state.

"Please, Elijah, I need you." She was whimpering, begging him for what she needed now that she couldn't break his hold on her.

Elijah would not allow himself to be swayed, he couldn't. "Elena, you need to stop this now." His voice was a bit hoarse, but he put as much command in it as he felt comfortable, not wanting to scare her, just bring her back to herself. It wasn't working.

"No, I want you now."

He almost smirked at her demanding tone. She was too far gone to even try her usual tactic, negotiation. His amusement didn't last long as she began to struggle in earnest again. He shook her a bit roughly, now desperate to bring her out of her blood and lust craze, no longer caring if he frightened her. It was for her own good, both of their own good at this point. Elena couldn't know the extent of her effect on him. Or could she? Was she counting on that to get him to give in to her demands? No, she couldn't, he decided. She had never shown any indication that she was aware of his feelings.

"I said **stop**, Elena!" This time, he put his full force into the order and she froze. "Remember who you are," he said in a slightly softer tone. He watched her internal battle, but saw the Elena he knew beginning to surface in her eyes. "Good," he encouraged her, "just breathe." He demonstrated slow breaths in through his nose and out his mouth.

Elena mimicked him and he saw her calm down, her vampire features receding. Relief flooded through him. It was short lived, however, as he watched horror spread across her face when she realized what she had done.

* * *

Why wouldn't he just give her what she needed? She knew he wanted her, she'd felt it when she was feeding on him, could feel his hard cock pressing against her. Why did he stop her? She struggled in his vice-like grip, unable to force him to budge. So, she resorted to begging, then demanding, and finally more struggling. If she could just get closer to him, press her body against his, kiss him, he would most assuredly give in and give her what she so desperately needed.

"I said **stop**, Elena!" She froze, some part of her mind whispering caution. She knew that tone. It never bode well for the person on the receiving end of it. Something in the dark eyes that bore into hers made her move toward that part of her mind where logic seemed to reign. She tried to push away everything else but the sanity that those eyes were searching her for.

"Good, just breathe." He was encouraging her, she knew this was a positive thing and concentrated on doing exactly what he was doing.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe_, she chanted in her mind. She felt herself coming slowly back, changing from the craven creature she had been moments before. But, with sanity came clarity and she realized exactly what she'd been doing and to whom she'd been doing it.

"Oh, my God!" She felt her face turn bright red as humiliation and utter panic filled her. What hell had she been thinking? Logically, she knew she hadn't been thinking at all, just surrendering completely to the instinct that was now a part of her. Why was she even still alive? No one invaded Elijah's personal space. He could invade yours, but no one was stupid enough, suicidal enough, to invade his. He'd allowed it when she was angry and then again when she needed comfort. She knew it was because he felt guilty, because they had an almost palatable connection, and were possibly friends. He had even encouraged her closeness, but she knew she'd gone too far. This wasn't Damon or Stefan; this was an Original, one of the most powerful beings ever.

Even as these thoughts crashed through her brain, she noticed the anxious and worried look on his face as he studied her reaction to what she'd done. Why was he worried about her? Why wasn't he angry? Elena felt the urge to flee; she couldn't stand to be here with him after what had just happened. She needed time to process it and come to terms with it. Then she could try to seek him out and apologize for her atrocious behavior. Almost as if Elijah read her mind, he tightened his grip on her arms.

"Elena, it is alright. Everything is going to be alright. Calm down." His voice was soothing and intended to reassure her, but it didn't.

"Alright? _Alright?_ Seriously? Have you already forgotten that I bit you? Drank from you? That I was…" she trailed off, thinking, but unable to say, "grinding against you, begging you." She closed her eyes in shame. She wasn't even sure what she'd been exactly pleading for. She'd wanted him in every conceivable way. He could have done _anything _to her and she would have happily accepted it.

"Elena," he called to her, but she refused to open her eyes.

She felt his hands release her arms, however she had no time to escape as one arm wrapped around her waist. Elijah did not pull her any closer, just prevented her from bolting. She couldn't really blame him for not wanting her any closer, Elena didn't trust herself, why should he?

She felt him take her chin in his hand and gently tilt her up. "Look at me, Elena." Perhaps it was because it was a true request and not an order that she complied and looked into his eyes. Elena could find no harsh judgment there, no judgment at all. Just understanding and compassion. He smiled softly at her look of bewilderment.

* * *

Elijah watched her expressions and emotions rapidly change. He could practically read Elena's mind by staring at her. In any other situation, he would have been amused at the direction of her thoughts. However, at this point in time, he was just concerned. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible in her guilt and mortification. He tightened his grip on her arms again to prevent her from running away.

Trying to calm and reassure her, he said, "Elena, it is alright. Everything is going to be alright. Calm down."

Elena did not seem to believe him. In fact she appeared nearly hysterical at his declaration.

"Alright? _Alright?_ Seriously? Have you already forgotten that I bit you? Drank from you? That I was…"

He watched her close her eyes in pain and embarrassment. She was ashamed of her wanton behavior. Did she realize he was as guilty as she was? His body had instantly responded to her and another man, without the restraint of his one thousand plus years, wouldn't have stopped her. Another would have given her everything she needed, regardless of how she would have felt about _herself_ after.

He thought back to when he had first turned. The blood lust had been so strong, so uncontrollable that he and his siblings had ravaged the town. They had killed so many who didn't have time to flee into the protection of their homes. Those who had already invited them in met the same grisly fate as those caught outside. Even after they fled back to Europe he'd lost control more times than he would ever like to admit.

But, his family was the first. They had no one to guide them, to teach and temper them. Elena had many who would willingly help her and together they would make sure that she found control and balance. It would take time and a great deal of effort on her part, but they could teach her. _He_ would teach her if she allowed him.

He knew her friends and family would rebel against the idea of Elena having any further contact with him. As far as they knew, he was in on his sister's plan. However, if Elena wanted his help, the others opinions be damned, he would not leave her until she told him to.

"Elena," he called to her, but she refused to open her eyes. He had to explain all of this to her before she could spiral down into any more self-loathing. But first he had to get her attention and force her to really listen to him.

He released her arms and quickly wrapped on arm around her waist, effectively keeping her trapped there with him. Elijah didn't pull her any closer to him. He didn't think he could handle a repeat performance. Even with all of his control, he was still a man and a vampire. He couldn't allow that temptation to happen again; he feared the things he may do if his darker side won over his control.

With his free hand he gently cupped her chin and tilted her face toward him. "Look at me, Elena." Elijah kept his voice soft, not demanding it of her, but gently requesting her. That seemed to make a difference. There was no defiance, just resigned acceptance as she opened her eyes to meet his. He looked at her without pity or judgment, just his understanding of having once been in the position she now found herself in. She stared at him in wide eyed wonder that he wasn't feeling any of the things she had been so afraid he'd feel toward her. "Did you really think I would be angry at you, Elena? That I would judge you harshly because of your actions?"

She seemed to not trust her voice and nodded to him instead.

"Oh, Elena, if you knew a fraction of the horrible things I did when I first became a vampire, you would understand why this one little incident is not as terrible as you think it is. I understand why this is bad from your point of view, but from mine this is nothing."

She scoffed at him, not even remotely believing him. "I attacked you, Elijah. I bit you and I loved it. I loved the feeling of strength and power that came with your blood. I wanted all of you, Elijah. Hell, I practically molested you!"

He almost laughed at that, almost. She was acting as though he had been less than willing.

"Elena, it is a very intimate thing to feed from another vampire. That is the only reason you reacted as you did. It is my fault for not stopping you sooner. It took a great deal of control for me to not… continue." He didn't want to make her more uncomfortable that she already was, but he needed her to understand that her reaction was normal and most definitely not one-sided.

Elena blushed furiously at his declaration and averted her eyes. But rather than closing herself off, she appeared to be considering something.

She looked back at him, staring into his eyes. She seemed to decide on whatever she was thinking and took a deep breath. "You've got more control than any vampire I've ever met. I've never even seen your face change." As she said this, she raised one tentative hand to his face and gently touched beneath his eyes. She was tracing her fingertips over the place where his veins would show themselves if he allowed them to. He wanted to move into her touch, but thought doing so may frighten her and resisted the impulse. "Can you teach me?"

The question was asked timidly, as though she were unsure if he'd be willing to help her. But, his heart soared at her request. "I will stay and help you as long as you need and want me to."

She smiled, completely relieved at the swiftness of his answer. "Thank you."

He barely heard her, though. His ears had picked up the sound of someone approaching and he tensed. She felt his sudden shift in posture and attention. "What is it?" she whispered.

"Someone is coming."

She shifted slightly, looking over her shoulder and also concentrated. Elijah removed his arm from her waist and prepared to defend her if need be. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't move and wondered if she hadn't noticed she was free, or if she felt safer with him this close.

He didn't have long to consider the possibilities as a familiar figure stepped within sight.

"Well, isn't this cozy?"

Elena jumped off of him as though he'd suddenly burned her. She didn't go far, however, just stood next to him. Actually, next to and slightly behind as though she was afraid of what the full extent of the newcomer's reaction would be to finding her in such a position. Elijah stood slowly with none of the anxiousness that Elena had displayed and began to dust himself off.

"Damon," Elena gasped.

He watched Damon look her over for signs that Elijah had hurt her in any way. The action made him bristle with anger, but he kept his face impassive, refusing to let the younger vampire see his irritation at the silent implication. Once Damon's gaze made it to Elena's face, the explosion happened.

"You let her _feed _on you?"

The question was growled in his direction and Elijah could see he was very close to making some ill-conceived move.

Elena then stepped forward. "He stopped me, Damon. It wasn't his fault!"

He almost smiled at her attempted to defend him, but the impulse died, replaced with cold fury at Damon's next words.

"Really? How long did it go on _before_ he stopped you? Maybe you should wipe his blood off your face before you try to defend him, Elena." Damon sneered at her, clearly trying to make her regret what she'd done. As though she wouldn't already.

Elijah saw her eyes widen and she reached up with her sleeve to wipe off her mouth. He cursed himself for not having cleaned her up before they'd been disturbed, but he'd been too preoccupied trying to calm her and reassure her to even think of it.

"What are you _thinking_?" Damon continued. "His sister _killed_ you, Elena! You can't tell me that big brother here didn't know exactly what little sis had planned!"

"Damon, he didn't…" she began, only to be cut off.

"Oh, _come on_! How can you possibly be this blind when it comes to him?"

Elijah had heard enough of Damon's opinion. "That is quite enough, Mr. Salvatore. Do you not think that she has been through enough? Elena doesn't need you to berate her for things she doesn't yet have control of."

At that Damon strode toward him, stopping only about an arm's length away. The urge to rip out his heart was almost overwhelming. But, that would hurt Elena. She couldn't lose anyone else.

"Because of _you_! You and your family are the cause of this! Of everything bad that has ever happened to her!"

It was then that he saw the flash of the white oak stake. He had already seen the stupid move coming from the older Salvatore and was more than prepared to disarm him. What he wasn't prepared for was Elena flashing in front of him screaming, "No, Damon!"

* * *

Elena saw the white oak stake and complete and utter fear and panic consumed her. She couldn't lose Elijah! Not after losing so many others. She threw herself between the two as Damon swung the stake down, aimed at Elijah's heart. She was sure Damon would stop when he saw her there, as he had when she'd gotten between him and Caroline when he tried to stake her after she turned.

But Damon was moving too fast and Elena had moved too fast for him to even register that she was there in time. She felt a blinding pain and saw his dawning look of horror as he realized who he'd stabbed. She heard Elijah cry out her name and his arms wrap around her as he lowered to the ground.

* * *

Author's Ending Note: Sorry to be evil and leave it here, but this was getting long. Will update as soon as I can!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome!

* * *

_Elena saw the white oak stake and complete and utter fear and panic consumed her. She couldn't lose Elijah! Not after losing so many others. She threw herself between the two as Damon swung the stake down, aimed at Elijah's heart. She was sure Damon would stop when he saw her there, as he had when she'd gotten between him and Caroline when he tried to stake her after she turned._

_But Damon was moving too fast and Elena had moved too fast for him to even register that she was there in time. She felt a blinding pain and saw his dawning look of horror as he realized who he'd stabbed. She heard Elijah cry out her name and his arms wrap around her as he lowered to the ground._

Damon had let go of the stake as soon as it had hit her. Elena screamed when she felt a wrenching pain as Elijah pulled it from her shoulder. She looked up at his terrified face as he studied her wound, which she felt already starting to heal. She saw the relief and then rage fill his features.

Elijah leapt to his feet and was in front of Damon in and instant. He grabbed him by the throat, lifting him before slamming him hard onto the ground. "If she hadn't been shorter than me, she would be dead right now."

Elena knew she had only seconds to act before Elijah killed Damon for hurting her. She scurried over and gripped Elijah's wrist as he brought up the stake. "Elijah, please don't kill him! You both need to stop this right now! How do you think Stefan, Kol, or Rebekah would feel if they lost either of you? How do you think I'd feel? We've all lost too much already!"

Both men looked at her as she pleaded with them. Her logic and desperation warring with their mutual hatred and loathing for the other, but Elena won in the end. They looked at each other in resignation and Elijah released Damon before rising.

"I will be keeping this," Elijah said, placing the white oak stake into his inside jacket pocket. "That should keep you from making any other mistakes that could end in your death."

"Yeah, of course you will," Damon grumbled as he picked himself up. "Come on, Elena, it's time we get back and call off the rest of the search party."

"Fine, but he's coming with us." She raised her chin in defiance, daring Damon to refuse her. When Damon opened his mouth to protest, she raised her hand and shook her head. "No, I don't want to hear it. I need his help as much as I need yours and everyone else's, so you need to get used to him being around."

"You need _his_ help?" He was looking at her as though she'd grown another head.

"Yes. We should be getting back to the others." With that, Elena began heading in the direction of the Boarding House.

"She's freaking lost it. _Again_." It was muttered under his breath, but both Elena and Elijah heard him clearly. Their reactions were vastly different, however. Elijah smirked at the irritated Salvatore, while Elena whirled around to begin yelling. Damon held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, come on Mr. Original."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him as he walked past her, but said nothing. She followed him, feeling Elijah fall into step behind her.

Damon pulled out his phone and began dialing Stefan. One good thing about Elijah coming back with him was he might be able to find a way to get that damn stake back.

* * *

As soon as they got back to the Boarding House, Elijah gently took hold of Elena's arm. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course. Um… follow me." She looked at him confused and slightly worried.

"Well, you two go have fun and I'll just wait here." Damon's voice was filled with annoyance, but the other two vampires didn't acknowledge him.

Elena led Elijah to the study and closed the door behind them. She knew that wouldn't stop Damon from listening to everything they said, but it made her feel better to try. She took a deep breath and turned around to face Elijah.

He was standing at the bar pouring each of them a glass of bourbon. She couldn't help but smirk at the usually so polite and proper Elijah helping himself to Damon's alcohol. She supposed he figured that Damon owed both of them after trying to kill him and almost staking her.

He turned around and held out the glass to her. Usually, Elena would decline, but if Elijah wanted to talk about what happened in the woods, she needed a bit of liquid courage. She stepped down the few stairs into the room and stood in front of him, taking the proffered drink. She took a long drink, feeling it burn down her throat and watched Elijah raise an eyebrow at her.

Elena shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "After tonight, I need it."

He nodded in understanding and continued to stare at her, expressionless. It made her extremely nervous and she shifted from one foot to the other.

"What you did tonight, rushing in front of me, was incredibly reckless." His voice was low and chastising. She felt like an unruly child being scolded by an elder. It made her bristle with irritation. "I knew exactly what Damon was planning. He isn't exactly subtle. I would have been able to stop and disarm him, Elena. There was no need for you to do what you did."

"I didn't know that you saw the stake and I couldn't let him hurt you. And would you have left his heart in his chest and his head attached after he tried to kill you? _Again_?" She was annoyed and a bit hurt. He always understood why she did the things she did. Didn't he understand that she wouldn't – couldn't – let either of them go without trying to prevent it?

"I wouldn't have killed him, Elena. As you said, we've all lost enough. I would not do that to you, take another person from you." He sighed, eyes filled with sadness. It made her heart ache for him. As soon as she saw the sadness, it was replaced by steely determination. "However, just because you're a vampire doesn't mean that you are completely invincible. You need to take care to not get yourself killed permanently."

Elena growled in frustration. "I know that," she snapped, "but I thought he would see me and stop. He did when I put myself between him and Caroline when he tried to stake her after she first turned."

Elijah looked surprised. "He tried to kill Caroline?"

He had only spent a fraction of time with the blonde that Klaus had been obsessed with and didn't understand why anyone would hurt her. She seemed like a caring and humane vampire. The thought of Klaus' drawings of her and the look that came to his face whenever he saw Caroline brought a jolt of pain and sadness. That was the brother he remembered from so long ago. The girl had brought out in him what Elijah thought was long dead. Now his brother was gone.

"Yes, when she first turned. Caroline didn't know anything about vampires, or anything supernatural for that matter. She was in a car accident with Tyler and Matt. She had been hurt badly and the doctor's did everything they could, but they weren't sure if she was going to make it. Her Mom, the sheriff, is friends with Damon. He came to the hospital after she called him. Bonnie and I were also there and, after he talked to the sheriff, he found us. He asked if we wanted him to give her some of his blood to heal her. We said yes, so he did." She paused. Elena remembered how terrified she had been that Caroline was going to die. She knew she would have done anything to make sure she lived.

"Yet, she still died," Elijah prompted her when she seemed to get lost in thought.

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Katherine went to her later that night after we'd all left. She pretended to be me and the nurses let her in to see her. Caroline, not knowing anything, didn't understand when Katherine told her who she was. Then Katherine killed her." Elena fought down the anger and hatred she felt for her ancestor. She refused to lose control again. She took a few deep, calming breaths as Elijah had showed her before continuing. "Once the sun set, Caroline compelled a nurse to sign her release papers. She went to the school where we were having a carnival. She was, of course, the chair person and had planned it. When she got there, she killed one of the carnival workers. That's how we found her, crying hysterically, not knowing what had come over her or why she had done it. Damon didn't think she could handle being a vampire, so he tried to stake her. I got between them and he stopped. Stefan took her inside and got her cleaned up and calmed down before explaining to her what had happened to her." Maybe if she had told her everything from the beginning, Caroline would have been more prepared, she thought, grief stricken. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. What was done was done. There was nothing she could do about her past mistakes now.

So the baby vampire had killed someone, Elijah thought. He wondered if she had ever done it again, but doubted it. She didn't seem to have it in her and appeared to have control over her urges from what he'd seen.

"Regardless, I would not see you hurt, Elena." When she looked like she would protest, he continued, deciding to use her own words. "How do you think Jeremy, your friends, or I would feel if we lost you?"

Elena's eyes narrowed. She obviously didn't like having her words used against her. Elijah resisted the urge to smirk are her. Assuming he'd gotten his point across he turned back to the bar to refill his glass.

"It wouldn't change the fact that I'd die for anyone I care about. I didn't know I had vampire blood in my system when I told Stefan to save Matt. If the choice arises between my life and someone else's, I'll always chose to save the person I care about."

Elijah closed his eyes, perhaps he _hadn't_ gotten his point across. Would she ever give up the martyr complex? He doubted it. He turned back around to face Elena, whose chin was lifted in defiance with her arms crossed over her chest. His jaw tightened. She was going to be stubborn and he was sure, no matter what he said, she would ignore him and do as she pleased.

He took a few menacing steps toward her, but she didn't back down and his frustration grew. Narrowing his eyes, he looked into hers, letting her know just how serious he was. "Do I need to compel you some kind of self-preservation instincts?"

She _smirked_ at him. He was threatening her and she actually _smirked_ at him. If she was anyone else, his suit would be ruined, drenched in her blood.

"You can't compel me, I died with vervain in my system. " The look on her face was filled with triumph and her voice smug.

Elijah let out a low growl of frustration_. Touché_, he thought. He heard rushing footsteps and knew they wouldn't be alone for long.

* * *

Damon frowned as he listened to Elena explain to the Original how he had tried to kill Caroline. Was she ever going to get over that? How was he supposed to know that Blondie would actually turn out alright? She was a neurotic nut case as a human.

As he thought this, the front door opened and Caroline and Stefan entered. _Speak of the little, blonde devil_, he thought. He watched them look around the room for Elena. When they noticed she wasn't there, they both looked at him, confused and concerned.

Caroline flashed in front of him. "Where is she, Damon? You said you found her!"

He smirked at her. "Oh, I found her alright. She was with _Elijah_."

Vampire Barbie's eyes widen in fear. "Wait, what?"

Stefan rushed into the room. "What do you mean she was with Elijah?"

"Yeah, he's convinced her that he didn't know what Rebekah was up to and you know Elena, she believed him."

He looked between the two of them. Caroline seemed to relax but his brother looked concerned at the information. He felt a wave of disgust for Caroline. What the hell was it with these women that they seemed to trust that damn Original? Except Bonnie, of course. He never thought he'd actually agree with the witch on _anything_ but keeping Elena safe.

"Do you think he compelled her?" Stefan asked after a few moments of silence.

Caroline snorted in annoyance. "No, he wouldn't compel her." When they both looked at her, Damon incredulous and Stefan doubtful, she sighed. "Look, first of all, she takes vervain every morning, so it would still be in her system, so he _couldn't_. Secondly, in case you two haven't noticed, they totally understand each other. Even when they go behind the other's back, they both know that it is to protect the ones they love and they respect it. He _respects_ her, Damon. You didn't see him after Klaus died. He was torn apart, but he was still determined to keep his agreement with Elena. It's a damn good thing for Blondie the Vampire that she is his sister and family means so much to him. If she wasn't, she'd be one dead bitch right now."

"Have you lost your fucking mind? _He respects her_," Damon mimicked her.

Caroline's eyes flashed in fury and she opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reply when Stefan chose to intercede. "This isn't getting us anywhere, guys." He stepped between them and looked at Damon. "What exactly happened when you found them?"

"Well, she was sitting in his lap, Stefan and he let her feed on him." Stefan's face fell into a look of hurt. "We had some words, Elena, of course defended him and then…," he trailed off, not exactly thrilled to admit he'd hurt Elena.

"And then?" Caroline prompted, clearly annoyed.

"And then I tried to kill him with the white oak stake. Elena decided to throw herself in front of him, ever the damn martyr and I didn't have time to stop before I stabbed her."

Stefan's eyes widen in horror and Caroline tried to push past him only to have him automatically block her.

"You did what?" she shrieked, veins creeping out and fangs descending.

"You didn't…," Stefan started to ask, already looking grief stricken.

"No, Stefan, I didn't kill her. She's shorter than Elijah and the stake went into her shoulder. Elijah made sure she was going to be okay and then tried to kill me. Elena talked him down and insisted that she needed his help and demanded that we get used to it and brought him back with us."

"So, Elijah's here?" He looked around again. "Where are they, Damon?"

"Arguing in the study. Apparently, he isn't too happy with her having jumped in front of him, either." Damon turned back to the bar to retrieve his glass and took a large gulp. "She was explaining how she thought I'd see her and stop the way I did when I tried to kill Vampire Barbie here." He smirked at Caroline's glare at his nickname for her. "That was the last I heard before you two came in."

As one, all three vampires trained their hearing toward the study.

"_Do I need to compel you some kind of self-preservation instincts?" Elijah demanded his voice menacing and cold._

"_You can't compel me, I died with vervain in my system. " Elena replied, her voice full of smug confidence._

They all clearly heard him growl, getting obviously frustrated with her defiance. Looking at each other, they decided, without speaking, that it was time they joined the conversation.

* * *

Elijah heard the door open and Stefan, Caroline, and Damon come in. He then smiled wickedly as he had a thought and leaned slightly toward Elena. Her heart rate picked up, but he didn't smell fear on her and fleeting wondered why.

"I could always take you out of this house, somewhere else were I could tie you up and wait for the vervain to leave your system. Actually, after your little stunt earlier, I could probably lock you in the basement here and your friends wouldn't protest. Not if it meant I could compel you to not do anything like it again."

"You wouldn't. They wouldn't." Elena looked to her friends. Caroline looked indignant at the suggestion, Stefan seemed to be trying to decide if Elijah was serious and if he himself thought it was a good idea, and, of course, Damon smirked.

"I wouldn't have a problem with that at all. Stefan?"

Stefan didn't reply right away, but Caroline did.

"Stop being such an ass, Damon." She looked at him with loathing and disgust. "He wouldn't do that to her." Though she said it to Damon with conviction, when she turned back to Elijah, she looked concerned. "Would you?" Internally she was praying that she hadn't misjudged him and that he wouldn't do that to her friend.

Elijah had been staring at Elena, but now turned to her and raised an eyebrow. He watched her eyes widen in realization. Elijah had no idea why, but he felt the need to let Caroline know that her belief in him wasn't misplaced. Perhaps it was because she alone appeared to accept his presence with Elena readily. Perhaps it was because of what she'd brought out in his brother, even if Nicklaus' feelings weren't returned by her. He didn't know, but as he turned away from the brothers and Elena he met her eyes and tried to convey the silent message of, _"No, I wouldn't." _She must have understood because her eyes lit up and a radiant smile flashed across her features before she sent Damon an _"I told you so" _glare. He hid his smile from her. She definitely had some fire in her and he decided that he liked this defiant baby vampire. She was most certainly a worthy of being Elena's friend.

"So, Elijah," Damon drawled behind him and Elijah clenched his jaw in irritation, "how long should we expect you to stay this time?"

Elijah smirked and turned back to face them. Elena and Caroline were giving Damon reproachful looks while Stefan seemed to be getting exasperated with his brother. He downed the remainder of his drink, taking his time answering the arrogant, older Salvatore. "As long as Elena wants me to." He felt a rush of satisfaction as Damon's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. He placed his glass back down on the bar and took a few steps forward. "I do have some things to tend to first." Elena looked back at him, slightly panicked. "I will return shortly. I need to retrieve a few items and put the white oak stake somewhere safe so that no one will be tempted to do anything foolish," he said, both reassuring Elena and angering the Salvatores.

Elena closed her eyes in relief and the tension drained from her. Stefan noticed her reaction and though he didn't look pleased by it, he decided to bend to her wishes for now. "If you're going to stay here, you can use one of the guest rooms."

"Thank you, Stefan." He gave him a small smile to acknowledge his reluctant willingness to allow him to help Elena. "I'll be taking my leave, then."

He strode past the brothers and Elena. As he past Caroline, she caught his attention with a subtle movement and then gave him a small, approving smile. He smiled back at her with an air of conspiracy before schooling his features back into an impassive mask. It appeared he had found an ally among them after all.

As he walked down the hall to the door, he heard Stefan whisper, "You gave him the stake?"

"No, _Stefan_, I didn't _give_ it to him. He took it and tried to _kill _me remember?"

"Only because you tried to kill him first and almost killed me instead! For no reason other than you just do whatever the hell pops in your head, no matter how stupid it is!" Elena yelled at him.

Elijah smirked as he heard her leave the room and come toward him.

"What the hell has crawled up her ass?" Damon sounded truly bewildered.

"Well, if you weren't such a dick like _all the time_, maybe she wouldn't be constantly yelling at you," Caroline replied smugly. "Heightened emotions now, remember? She may not be able to control wanting to kick your ass like she used to. You might want to try to be a bit nicer," she ended in a sing-song voice.

_Yes_, he thought, _I definitely approve of this girl._ He tuned out the rest of the conversation as Elena approached him calling his name. Elijah turned to look at her.

Elena took a deep breath. "I had a couple more things to say and since they're arguing, they won't be listening. First, I'm sorry about Klaus and Finn."

Elijah looked surprised at first and then raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not sorry Klaus is dead," she explained, deciding to be completely honest with him. "He did so many horrible things to my family, friends, and me. I've lost so much because of him, so many people that I love." She paused and swallowed the lump of grief lodging in her throat. "But, he was your brother and I know that, despite everything he has done to you and your family, you still loved him. So, for what you've lost, I'm sorry."

Elijah felt his own grief well inside and knew his expression must have been similar to hers. Not trusting his voice, he nodded his acknowledgement to her. He was touched by her unending compassion. She had hated Klaus enough to betray and lie to him to protect her family and had taken his own betrayal in stride, knowing that he did it to save his own. Now she was actually offering her genuine condolences to him.

"I also want you to know that I know that your threat to compel me was an empty one." Elena saw his expression change as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. She rushed to explain herself before he could interrupt and deny what she said. "As much as you may love the thought of doing that, the only time you've ever compelled me before was when we first met. You respected me too much after that to do it again. Even when I betrayed you, you could have just come straight into my house and compelled me to tell you. Or if I had vervain in my system, taken me, waited for it to leave my system, and then compelled me to tell you. Instead, you took me out to the place you grew up and told me things about yourself that I'm sure no one else knows, outside of your family." She stared into his eyes and saw surprise flare in them. Maybe he hadn't realized that she'd figured a few things out after the letter ending in _always and forever_. "Then you called me out on lying, because you knew, _you knew_, Elijah, that I'd tell you whatever I couldn't the night before. And you still respect me too much to compel me, even if you think it's for my own good, because then I wouldn't be me. If I only care about my own safety, I'd be Katherine."

Elijah stared at her. He hadn't thought that she would have considered why he'd taken her to the place of his youth. He'd assumed that she would figure that it was only because of the caves he intended to trap her in if his suspicions were confirmed. As hurt as he'd been by her lies, he knew she had to have a good reason to do it. She had the same sense of honor that he did and he had wanted to ease the blow of his own impending duplicity by giving her something of himself. He hadn't realized that she would deduce that he cared for her from that simple act of sharing. Elena knew him as well as he knew her. The thought disturbed him and he wondered just what else she had managed to work out.

He was pulled from his thoughts and saved from having to confirm or deny Elena's astute observations by an angry blonde bounding down the corridor.

"Damon is such a complete jackass! Ugh! I can't stand him!" Caroline was obviously quite furious with Damon. Elijah almost wished he had continued listening to her argument with him. It had been very entertaining. "I don't know how the hell you've managed not to stake him, Elena. And you," she said, turning to look at Elijah, "you're the big, badass Original, can't you put him in his place?"

He was surprised at her audacity and sheer fearlessness. He now understood what his brother had seen in her. She would not have bent to Nicklaus. She would have challenged him and refused to be intimidated by him, even if he did scare her. No other woman would have dared to defy Klaus the way he could see this one would. His brother would have loved the challenge.

"Alas, short of killing him, I doubt anything would put him in his place." He smirked at Caroline as she frowned, apparently agreeing.

He glanced at Elena to see amusement in her eyes as she struggled not to laugh at her friend's anger. Once she managed some semblance of control, she asked, "Are you staying, Care? There's plenty of extra room and I'll _try_ to keep Damon away from you."

Caroline's expression changed immediately to grief and fear. "I don't know. I can't go home after what Alaric did. My Mom wanted me to leave town with Tyler," she choked out the name and stopped with a sob. Elena immediately moved to put her arms around her friend as tears ran down her face.

Elena looked at Elijah with pain and sadness in her own eyes and it broke his heart. "I'm sorry for your loss, Caroline." He stepped forward and put a tentative hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him in surprise, seeming to have forgotten he was there. She tried to force a smile of gratitude. "Thank you."

He nodded and glanced at Elena, whose own tears had begun to roll down her cheeks. "I should be going. I'll return shortly."

"Okay, I'll see you then." She put her arms back around Caroline and pulled her close, mouthing, "Thank you," to him. He gave her a small smile and turned to leave.

"Wait, Elijah," Caroline called, pulling partially away from Elena. He turned back and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about your brother."

Elijah was surprised in spite of himself, but politely said, "Thank you." He glanced at Elena who smiled through her tears, amused at his surprise. As he continued on his way, he understood why the two were such close friends.

He used his vampire speed to get back to his car. The look of panic in Elena's eyes when he'd said he was leaving flashed across his vision and he felt an urgent need to return to her as soon as possible. He would be there for her this time, he vowed to himself, and he would not fail her again.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome! Sorry it's been so long between chapters, but it's been unusually hot where I live. All I've been able to think is, "I'm melting, melting." Yep, totally felt like I was turning into a puddle of goo. I will try to keep the time in-between chapters shorter. As for the blood bag thing in this chapter, I know there are several blood types, but I thought that was excessive, so that's why she only picked three. You'll see what I mean.

* * *

_He used his vampire speed to get back to his car. The look of panic in Elena's eyes when he'd said he was leaving flashed across his vision and he felt an urgent need to return to her as soon as possible. He would be there for her this time, he vowed to himself, and he would not fail her again._

Elijah did not head to the Mikealson Manor, but to the house he kept just outside Mystic Falls. It was where he'd stayed while waiting for the sacrifice. He knew the brothers had never learned of its existence and the home that he and his family had shared was far too obvious a place to hide such a dangerous object.

Arriving at his destination, he quickly exited the car and walked up to the door. After unlocking it, he made for his bedroom. Inside the walk in closet was a small hidden door opened by a disguised trigger the upper part of the wall next to it. It was magically concealed and only someone who knew exactly where to look could find it. After opening the safe behind it with the proper combination, Elijah placed the white oak stake inside before closing and securing all the doors.

Elijah sighed with relief. At least one problem was taken care of, now on to the others. He needed to come up with a plan as to how to help Elena. He didn't want to rush her, but he didn't feel that being in the toxic environment that the Salvatores were currently creating was good for her. Then again, if he could help her to control some of the raging emotions she was now feeling, it would go a long way in helping her control the blood lust. Learning to control her emotions while constantly trying to be controlled by others might be a harsh, yet effective, way to accomplish it. If he added the extra incentive of being able to return home to Jeremy, it might help.

If he could find a way to keep Caroline's presence at the Boarding House from the council, she would be a good influence on Elena. Also, concentrating on helping another through their grief would give Elena some sense of purpose. He needed to talk to Carol Lockwood and find out exactly what Alaric had divulged. Was Elena even safe at the Boarding House? Had Alaric informed the council of Damon and Stefan as well? Too many questions and not enough answers. Elijah hated not knowing what was going on. It was uncharted territory for him. He always made sure he was informed on everything. Except what his siblings were up to, apparently, he thought bitterly.

Speaking of siblings, he had to make sure Rebekah had taken care of Klaus' remains and that Kol was keeping out of trouble. He was also almost obsessively curious as to how those he knew had descended from Klaus' bloodline were still alive, with the exception of Tyler. It wasn't possible and yet it had happened. Had they found some way to separate themselves from that particular drawback? He didn't think so. The look of fear on both Stefan's and Caroline's faces had been too genuine to have been faked.

Feeling more tired and worn that he had in an extremely long time, Elijah began to go through his clothing to pick out what he'd bring with him. A shower was also in order. Not only was he covered in dirt from the forest floor, but he could still smell Elena all over him. Unbidden, the memory of the feel of her body moving against his, the feeling of her fangs sinking into his skin, the softness of her lips as she sucked at the wounds she made, flashed through his mind. His body reacted to the remembered sensations and he growled in frustration. He pushed away the feelings and images his mind came up with. No, this would not do at all. He had to lock those memories away; he'd be spending too much time with her to indulge in them. Grabbing a change of clothes, he headed for the bathroom. A cold shower was _definitely_ in order.

* * *

Elena held Caroline in the entryway of the Boarding House for a while after Elijah left. She rubbed her back and offering meaningless words of comfort until the burning hunger returned. She pulled back from Caroline, whose eyes widen a bit when she looked at Elena.

"Come on," Caroline said, whipping away her tears with one hand while grabbing Elena's arm with the other and steering her toward the basement. She noticed her best friend's obvious embarrassment and decided to try to reassure her. "You need to feed and, honestly, so do I."

Elena followed Caroline into the basement and took the three of the blood bags Caroline handed her. Looking at them, she noticed a variety of blood types. She looked up Caroline to ask her why to see her picking through the blood bags before choosing three for herself.

"What?" Caroline looked as confused at Elena's expression as Elena was with the blood bags.

"Three different blood types, Care?"

Understanding dawned across Caroline's face. She reached up and shut the lid before starting back toward the upper levels of the house. "Well, yeah. I wasn't sure if you had a favorite blood type and figured you probably didn't since you just became a vampire. So, I thought you'd need a variety. Personally, I prefer B+, but to each vampire their own."

They reached the main floor of the house and Caroline looked around to make sure that neither brother was lurking. She put her finger to her lips as a signal for Elena to be quiet. The other vampire looked utterly confused but nodded in understanding. Handing Elena her blood bags, Caroline shot her a mischievous smile and stealthily stalked into the main living room. Bypassing the alcohol in plain sight, she went straight for Damon's good stock. She picked out two bottles and flashed back to Elena.

"Where's your room? Are you staying in Stefan's?" She made sure to keep her voice low enough that only Elena's vampire hearing would be able to pick it up.

Elena wasn't sure she could keep as quiet as Caroline, so she mouthed the word, "No." With a jerk of her head, she led Caroline upstairs to the room she had taken refuge in before her flight into the woods earlier that night. She closed the door behind them after Caroline entered and her eyes went to the window she'd jumped out of. Which inevitably lead her to think of the debacle with Elijah in the forest. She felt her skin tingle when she remembered how good it had felt to feed off of him and how much she'd wanted him in the moment.

"Elena, what are you thinking about?" Caroline suddenly asked her, jerking Elena from her thoughts.

She felt her face flush with embarrassment. Elena ducked her head down, allowing her hair to partially hide her flaming face. Walking quickly over to the bed where Caroline had seated herself, she deposited all but one of the blood bags and tore into it. She sucked down half of it quickly. Feeling immediately better, she sat on the bed with Caroline, who was sipping her own blood bag and looking at Elena expectantly.

"What?" Maybe she could play dumb and Caroline wouldn't press her?

"What do you mean, 'what?' You're not getting out of answering me, Elena. What were you just thinking about when you spaced out staring at the window?" Caroline looked at her in extreme annoyance. _She didn't really think I would let this go, did she? Has she never met me?_ Caroline thought.

"I was just thinking about how bad the blood lust can be and how I never realized just how hard this all must have been for you. I mean, you didn't know anything about vampires, at least nothing you remembered when you first turned. I'm sorry if I was ever less than understanding or anything when you turned." She wasn't exactly lying to Caroline. That may not have been what she'd been thinking when Caroline caught her recalling what happened with Elijah, but it had been a reoccurring thought she'd been having since she woke up in transition.

"Aw, come here," Caroline said, pushing the blood bags between them off to the side and moving closer to Elena to hug her. Sitting back, Caroline looked into the other vampire's eyes as she tucked some of Elena's hair behind her ear. "You were wonderful, Elena. You never made me feel bad for killing that man and you were so supportive, even with everything that was going on with you at the time. You couldn't have been any better a friend, okay?"

Elena's eyes burned with tears at Caroline's high praise. She couldn't believe she actually had any tears left; she seemed to have nothing but cry for the last few hours. She really needed to get these emotions under some control. She gave her best friend a watery smile and nodded her head. Glancing down at the now empty blood bag she held, she said, "Thanks Care."

"You don't have to thank me, Elena, it's the truth." She handed her another blood bag and waited until Elena looked back up at her before arching an eyebrow. "Now, about truth, what were you thinking about earlier? I mean, I know that you're telling me about what you've thought at some point today, but that is not what you were thinking then."

Damn it, she'd gotten way too observant since becoming a vampire. "I don't really want to talk about it right now, Caroline. Can we have some of the alcohol you smuggled up here first?"

Caroline could immediately tell what was bothering Elena when she got this dodgy about a question. She had totally been thinking about whatever had happened between her and Elijah. The gossip queen in her was dying to know _exactly_ what had happened from the source, not just Damon's innuendo.

Personally, she wasn't sure what she thought of the Original. Until earlier that night she'd never even met the vampire, so she just had what Elena, Bonnie, Damon, and Stefan had told her to go on. Elena always seemed to trust him, no matter how many times he betrayed her. But, to be fair, Elena had betrayed him a few times, too, and he still came back to help and protect her. It was almost as though they couldn't help this pattern they appeared to be locked in.

Well, Elena still trusted him after his rabid bitch of a sister killed her, so she would trust him, too. Besides, she really did believe what she'd told Damon earlier. She could tell that Elijah _did_ respect Elena and wasn't going to do anything to hurt her. Elijah was also very protective of her. He'd saved her from Rebekah in the hospital parking lot and he'd tried to kill Damon before Elena stopped him after he'd accidentally staked _her_ instead of the Original.

Caroline studied Elena as she thought over the strange friendship between her and Elijah. She knew that Elena _wanted_ to talk about whatever had happened, but she wasn't comfortable doing so yet. Some more blood and a bit a liquid courage, thanks to Damon's stolen alcohol, should relax her enough to spill the beans. She relented with this conclusion and leaned over to grab both the bottles she'd confiscated. She couldn't help but smirk. Damon was going to be _so pissed_ when he found out she'd taken two of his best vintage.

Straightening up, Caroline kept the smirk on her face and held up both bottles for Elena's inspection. "Well, Miss Gilbert, which one of Damon's best would you like to start off with?"

Elena couldn't help but giggle at the devious glint in her best friend's eyes and the self-satisfied smirk on her face. Damon was going to be so angry with Caroline and she was sure they'd both be in for an earful when he discovered the theft. "After the night we've had, I think we should start with whichever one is stronger, Miss Forbes."

"Good call," she replied, turning the bottles to examine them. Choosing one, she put the other on the side table before opening the stronger of the two.

Caroline took a big gulp from the bottle, enjoying the burn as it slid down her throat. She hadn't thought to grab glasses for them, but they'd shared bottles of smuggled alcohol so many times that this would be just one more time.

As she passed the bottle to the newest addition of their undead group, Elena gave her a small smile. "Just like old times, huh?"

They both sat in silence while Elena took her own drink after finishing her second blood bag. They both reminisced on simpler times when their biggest concern had been getting caught by their parents doing things like this, worrying about clothes and boys, and enjoying juicy gossip. Before the supernatural had crashed into their lives and changed everything forever.

Thinking about the times when she, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler had spent together pre supernatural drama, Elena couldn't help but worry about how Matt was doing. They'd gotten her out of the hospital so fast she hadn't been able to see him. Though she'd been too dazed and in too much shock to protest when she'd woken up in transition, she couldn't help the extreme guilt she now felt for not even asking about him except to make sure he'd lived.

After another long, burning drink, she handed the bottle back to Caroline. "Have you heard anything about how Matt is doing?"

Caroline nodded. "I had Stefan call for me, since I'm supposed to be out of town by now." Caroline closed her eyes as pain shot through her. She and Tyler were supposed to be on the road together right now. But he was dead, gone, and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

Seeing the expression on Caroline's face, Elena felt her heart break for her best friend. "I'm sorry, Care. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Caroline opened her eyes and shook her head. "Thank you, Elena, but I can't. Not yet, it just hurts too much." Tears burned in her eyes and clouded her vision, but she pushed away her grief. She had to support Elena right now, she needed her and Elena had _always_ been there for her. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She cleared her throat as she felt her control reassert itself. "They said Matt had a broken rib and hit his head, but he's in stable condition and doing very well. There was no brain damage from lack of oxygen or from banging his head. He should be released in a couple of days. The doctor wants to keep him for a few days for observation."

Elena wondered why they were keeping him for a few days if he was doing so well. Caroline wasn't lying to her, she would know immediately since she was the worst liar on the planet. So why would they keep him so long? Unless… Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and anger.

"Who treated him, Caroline?"

Caroline shivered at the cold fury in Elena's voice and hesitated. She was kinda scary as a vampire.

Caroline's reluctance to tell her confirmed her suspicions. "It was Meredith, wasn't it?" The other vampire bit her lip and nodded. Elena shot up off the bed and began pacing like a caged animal. "So, did she give him vampire blood, Caroline? Is that why he has to stay for a few days? Just to make sure he doesn't end up dead and a vampire?"

Caroline got up off the bed to nip this in the bud before it got out of control. She stepped in Elena's path and grabbed her shoulders. She didn't try to shake her off, but she glared angrily into Caroline's eyes. "Elena, she didn't give him vampire blood, I swear. He wasn't hurt bad enough to need it. Neither did Stefan. She really just wants to make sure he's okay. I think she feels guilty for what happened to you."

"She should," Elena growled back. She was struggling to maintain some kind of control and not charge out of the house to confront Meredith. If she did, it wouldn't end well for the doctor and she didn't want to hurt anyone. She knew it wasn't really fair to be so angry at Meredith. The doctor really was just trying to help her. There was no way she could have foreseen this happening, no more than any of the rest of them could.

"'Lena, I know you're angry and you have every right to be. But, I don't think Meredith would have done this to you on purpose. She was just trying to save you." Caroline hoped that Elena would believe this, too.

"I know that, but she should have told Jeremy! Then he and Matt would never have tried to get me out of town! They would have left me at the house, where I was safe!"

Caroline sighed. "That isn't true and if you would calm down you'd realize it, too. Knowing you had vampire blood in your system would have made them even more determined to get you away from everything that was going on." She could tell Elena wanted to argue with her, but after a few minutes of thinking, her shoulders sagged in defeat. Caroline felt a wave of triumph. Now she just had to convince Elena to forgive the doctor. She didn't have it in her to hate someone, she always forgave people. Except Klaus, of course, but who could really blame her for that one? "And as for Dr. Fell, she did what any one of us would have done if we found you bleeding on the floor. Damon, Stefan, and I would have given you our blood in a second and you know it. Would you hold it against us if we had given it to you and Rebekah killed you?"

"No, of course not!" Elena sighed and felt her anger slip away hearing Caroline voice what she'd been thinking. "I _know_ that she didn't do this to hurt me. I _know_ she was trying to help me. It's just harder not having expected it and I can't help but be a little angry with her. Not because she gave it to me, but because she didn't tell anyone about it. Not even me." Elena stepped away from Caroline and retrieved the bottle that Caroline had set down when she came to stop her from working herself up. Taking a few gulps, she sat down and looked at Caroline with a smirk. "You took a page out of my book when you forgave Ric, I guess it's time I took a page out of yours and try to look at the positive, right? I mean, I'm not dead just undead, Jeremy isn't alone, and I can take care of myself without you guys all worrying about me constantly, right?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and snatched the bottle from Elena. She plopped down on the bed next to Elena with a smirk before turning serious. "We're still going to worry about you Elena, the same way you worry about all of us. Because we love you as much as you love us." Caroline took a few drinks wondering how to broach her next question. Tact had never been one of her strong points, so she decided to be blunt. "Have you decided which Salvatore you want to spend your immortal life with?"

"When we were on the way back to town, after Klaus died, I called Damon to see if he was okay." She could see Caroline brace herself in case Elena said that she had chosen him. "I told him I was coming back to all of you. He asked me if you guys weren't all a factor in my going back to Mystic Falls if I would have chosen him or Stefan. I told him that I love Stefan and wanted to be with him."

Caroline let out the breath she'd been holding_. Thank God_, she thought. "Have you had the chance to tell Stefan about it, yet?"

"No," Elena admitted. "With everything that's happened I haven't had the opportunity. Besides…" she trailed off. She frowned, recalling how Stefan had been treating her since she woke up in the morgue.

Caroline waited eagerly for her to continue what she'd started saying. When she couldn't take another second of watching her frown and think, she impatiently prompted, "Besides what?"

Elena looked at her apprehensively. "He's not treating me the way he used to. He feels guilty and he and Damon keep arguing about how I should live now that I'm a vampire. Damon not listening to my opinions is nothing new, but Stefan doesn't seem like he wants to know, either. I don't know if he'll ever get over saving Matt instead of me. I don't know if we even have a future now."

"I'm sure he'll come around, 'Lena. It's been less than twenty four hours and everyone is still reeling. Just give him some time to work through it." She had always been Team Stefan. She didn't think she could ever forgive Damon for everything he did to her when she was human. But, she had to admit, Damon was a better man around Elena. She seemed to bring out the tiny kernel of good that remained in him. It still wasn't enough as far as she was concerned, however. To Caroline, he'd always be a sadistic bastard.

She handed Elena the almost empty bottle and watched her drain the last of it. She knew her friend was starting to relax and opened up the other bottle. "How did Damon take the news?" She couldn't imagine that he'd gracefully accepted Elena's decision.

Elena frowned again, this time in utter confusion. "Really well, like scary well. It was like he already knew what my choice would be; he just needed to hear it from me."

Caroline almost spit out the mouthful of alcohol. "Seriously? No hint of him wanting to go on a rampage and murder innocent people?"

"No, nothing like that. He was a lot angrier about me being turned and finding me with Elijah."

_Score!_ Caroline thought eagerly. She knew that Elena was ready to talk about it; all she had to do was approach the subject the right way. "He told Stefan and me that when we got back from looking for you. How did you end up out there with Elijah?"

Elena looked at Caroline, feeling flustered and a bit sheepish. "Damon and Stefan were arguing on my choice of diet, the bunny diet or the human blood diet. Neither of them would listen to me, so I go really pissed and stalked out of the room after yelling at both of them and telling them to stay the hell away from me. I came to this room, but I could still hear them and it made me even angrier. So, I jumped out the window to get away. I ran into the woods and when I thought I was far enough away that they wouldn't hear me, I sat down and started to just cry."

Caroline looked at her friend with remorse. She felt awful for Elena. She knew exactly what it felt like to be where Elena was right now and it hurt her to know that she was going have to go through it, too.

Elena saw Caroline's look and decided that she wasn't going to judge her for what she'd done. Not that she honestly thought Caroline would, but she was still so ashamed of her behavior that it was a fear she had. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know how Elijah found me there. He was just suddenly behind me, calling my name. He looked so guilty and I knew that he'd found out what had happened. All I saw was red and I attacked him."

"Whoa, wait. You attacked an Original with a penchant for ripping out hearts?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time, Care!" She knew it was a weak defense, but she hadn't really cared what he could do to her at the time. "Anyway, he let me. He didn't even try to stop me and I just knew that he had no idea what Rebekah had been planning. So I started screaming at him, asking why he wasn't there when I needed him. He apologized and said that he really thought his sister would abide by the terms of our agreement and that he never would have left without her if he'd thought otherwise.

"He sat on the ground and hugged me while asking me about my transition, asking if it had been my choice or if I'd been forced. I told him I hadn't per se, but that Damon made it clear that I could drink the blood bag, or he'd force me to. He wasn't very happy about that, so I asked him if he would have let me make the choice if he'd been there. He said he would have, looking at me as thought the question was a crazy one. He said he would have stayed with me and supported me if I chose to die until I was gone. I lost it and started crying again. I have no idea what possessed me, but I climbed into his lap. He just felt so strong and safe. I felt so protected.

"When I calmed down, I – I could smell his blood. It smelled so good and before I could think better of it, I bit him. I got lost in blood lust. Oh, God, Care, I got lost in lust period. I started grinding against him and he started to get hard." Elena knew her face must be redder than a beet and she put her hands over it, trying to hide from the astonished look on Caroline's face.

Caroline was stunned. She knew that Damon had found Elena sitting in Elijah's lap, but apparently he hadn't been there for this little show. She couldn't stop the question that came out of her mouth. "Did the two of you…"

Elena removed her hands and emphatically said, "**No!**" before Caroline could even finish the question. "He stopped me and got me to calm down. When I realized what I'd done, I was horrified. But, he was awesome about it. He didn't judge me, he wasn't mad, he just understood. That's when I asked him to stay and help me. He's always in control; I've never seen his face change. He said he would and then Damon found us, and you know what happened after that."

Elena took the bottle from Caroline and downed a large portion while Caroline sat and digested the information. So the bad ass Original hadn't taken advantage of the situation. She had been right, he did respect Elena. And he must have more discipline than she could even comprehend. She knew the almost constant state of horny that she lived in as a vampire and he couldn't be in any different a position. Original or not, he was still a vampire and a guy. She was positive that Damon or Stefan would have fucked Elena senseless right there on the forest floor. Stefan loved her and would never deny her, especially after not getting any from her in over a year. But, that was totally his own damn fault for going off the deep end and choosing revenge instead of Elena. Damon would just love the chance to get in Elena's pants. He wouldn't turn down a willing, horny Elena grinding in his lap.

While Caroline mulled over the news she'd received, Elena downed two more blood bags after handing the bottle back to her. She was ready to practically scream at her for her reaction. Instead she settled on a more quiet, if not annoyed, "Well?"

Caroline looked at her in confusion. "Well, what?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "I just told you what happened with Elijah. Some kind of reaction, any kind of reaction, would be nice!" Elena kept her voice as low as she could. She so didn't need Damon or Stefan hearing any of this, she couldn't take either of their reactions to it right now.

"Well, it surprises me that _you_ acted that way. Then I remembered you are a _vampire_, Elena! I mean, we live with heightened emotions. I'm horny most of the time and I bit Matt, remember? He's _human_ and I could have _killed_ him, Elena! Be grateful that you lost control with an Original who, apparently, has more control that half the planet combined!" Elena looked shocked and she was still blushing. Caroline sighed and softened her tone, scooting closer to take Elena's hands in hers. "Elena, you haven't been with anyone in over a year. You may have chosen Stefan - good choice by the way - but you hadn't told him yet. You weren't cheating on anyone. Hell, you didn't really even do enough to be considered cheating if you were with someone. Elijah blew the whole thing off and still respects you. He doesn't think you did anything terrible. As for Damon and Stefan, they don't need to know all the details; it's none of their business, anyway. Not that any of us could judge without being a total hypocrite. We've all been where you are right now, sweetie. We've all done things we regret, but we got through it and so will you. Just give yourself some time."

Relief spread through Elena and she smiled at Caroline. "You're right, Care. I just need to learn control and then things can get back to normal. Or, as normal as they get in Mystic Falls, anyway."

Caroline was starting to feel the long day and night that they'd all been through. When she saw Elena try and fail to suppress a yawn, she decided it was time that they both get some rest. "I'm exhausted and the alcohol isn't helping. What do you say we get some sleep? I'm sure everything will be a little less grim in the morning. Or, considering the time, in the afternoon, late evening if the brothers let us sleep."

"Sounds like a plan," Elena said through another yawn.

She watched as Caroline got up and walked to the window. She closed it before securing the curtains and making sure that none of the window was exposed. She almost asked her what she was doing and then remembered - vampires burn in the sunlight. She was a vampire without a day ring. She sighed as melancholy settled in. Would Bonnie make her a day ring? She hadn't been too happy to make one for Caroline, but she'd done it. She wondered if anyone had even had the chance to tell Bonnie about her new vampire status yet. Oh, well, that was a later on today problem; she'd deal with it then.

As Caroline made sure her best friend wouldn't get burned to a crisp as the sun rose, she thought of her other best friend. Would Bonnie be as pissy about making Elena a day ring as she had when she made hers? Elena hadn't hurt anyone, so she didn't think so. However, if she tried to pull her witchy better-than-thou crap, Caroline would bully her into doing it.

With this in mind Caroline turned around and made her way back to the bed. They both got settled under the covers and fell asleep, too exhausted to even remain awake to worry about their uncertain futures.

* * *

As the sun began to rise, Damon sighed and got out of bed. He'd been trying to listen in on Elena and Caroline's conversation, but hadn't been able to hear more than a few snippets. They sure as hell hadn't wanted anyone to overhear whatever it was that they were talking about. It irritated the hell out of him as well as making him insanely curious.

As he stepped out of the shower, he wished for the time when he could bully Caroline into telling him whatever Elena had confided in her. Damon began shaving before suddenly stopping and frowning at his reflection. The realization of _exactly_ how long it had been since he'd been able to bully Caroline into doing anything hit him. He was thinking of trying to bully the same girl that he himself had sent as bait for _Klaus_ of all people and she'd done so bravely, not letting any of them down. If she could stand up to a psychopathic Original, she sure as _hell_ was **not** going to back down to him or anyone else. He surprised himself by actually feeling _proud_ of her for the strength she had found and not for the first time. But he'd be damned if he ever let _her_ know that.

Damon walked down the stairs to make some coffee and get some blood. As he walked past the main living room, he noticed the door to his liquor cabinet slightly open. Frowning, he walked into the room and over to it. Examining the contents, he immediately noticed that two of his very rare, very expensive, vintages were gone.

"That little bitch!" he hissed. The pride he'd felt briefly moments ago was long gone. He heard someone enter the room behind him and hoped it was her.

"To whom are you referring, Damon?" a smooth voice asked from behind him.

Damon closed his eyes in aggravation. This day was just getting better and better. Turning around, he put his signature smirk firmly in place. "Well, well, look who came back." When Elijah didn't rise to the bait and simply arched an eyebrow at him, Damon realized he was waiting for the answer to his question. "Vampire Barbie apparently snuck in here last night and stole two of my best bottles of alcohol."

The Original looked at him coldly and took a few more steps into the room. "I'll assume that by 'Vampire Barbie' you're referring to Caroline, yes?"

"Yes, I'm referring to Caroline. You know the blonde with the perfect hair, make-up, body, and big boobs. Vampire Barbie applies, don't you think?" He watched the Original's impassive mask harden and his eyes grow even colder. If looks alone could kill, Damon was pretty sure he'd be a pile of ash right about now.

"I _think_ I can see why she gets along with you _so well_, Damon." As much as it angered him, Elijah wasn't really surprised at the younger vampire's dishonorable view of Caroline. He assumed that was probably how Damon saw most women. He wondered if he had the same views before meeting Katerina. Probably not, he decided. It was quite clear that Katerina had done a number on both brothers and neither had really ever dealt with the damage she'd inflicted. Deciding that any further conversation with the elder Salvatore was a waste of his time and energy, he smiled politely. "Since your brother so graciously offered to give me a room, would you like to point me in the direction of one?"

That wiped the smirk off Damon's face as he noticed the small suitcase the Original had brought with him. _Damn you, Stefan,_ he thought angrily. He pointed behind Elijah to the stairs. "Anything on the third floor except the last one on the right. Elena and _Caroline_ were up all night gossiping. I don't think they'd appreciate the wakeup call. But, then again it's _you_ so I'm sure you'd be forgiven, even if you caught a peek at something you may not have seen last night." He knew he was in extremely dangerous waters here, but his curiosity wouldn't let it go. Maybe he could get Elijah angry enough to tell him something, _anything_, about what happened with Elena. Hopefully with his heart still in his chest.

Elijah was no fool and Damon couldn't possibly be any more obvious. "Thank you, Damon. I'm sure that they're both exhausted and could use some sleep after last night. It was _strenuous_ for all of us, was it not?" He smirked at Damon and started toward the stairs.

Damon narrowed his eyes, wondering exactly what the hell that cryptic shit was supposed to mean. Stalking out of the room and heading for the basement for blood before starting the coffee, all he could think was, _Fucking Originals_. He promptly decided that Elena was probably as at fault for the theft last night and she would get as much of an earful as Vampire Barbie.

* * *

Elijah walked quietly down the hall Damon had told him. He stopped outside of the room he'd learned was Elena and Caroline's. The steady, slow heartbeats and breathing indicated that both women were indeed in a deep sleep and not plagued with any disturbing dreams. His mind reassured, he went to the room right next to theirs so he could hear if anything changed with Elena.

After hanging up his clothing and putting away the other necessities he'd brought, Elijah changed into his sleepwear and lay down on the bed. At least the white oak stake was secure, so he didn't have to sleep with one eye open. Not that he couldn't hear either of the brothers should they attempt to approach, but it would allow him to rest easier knowing it was a safe distance from them.

Elijah trained his hearing to the next room and listened to one of the heartbeats intently. He knew which one was Elena's; he'd listened to it every time he'd been in her presence and her death and rebirth hadn't changed its rhythm. Until the day in the woods above the caverns, he'd never let her know that he listened to it. She'd seemed extremely surprised by the information. But he'd always used it to gauge her reactions or calculate her stress and wellbeing. He couldn't help but wonder, with all the thought she seemed to have put into that day, if she'd figured out that he had been listening to her heartbeat ever since the day they'd met. He considered this as he fell asleep listening to the steady, rhythmic beat.

* * *

Damon had just finished his blood and flipped on the coffee pot when he heard a car racing up the driveway. Squealing tires and flying gravel were next as the car slammed to a stop in front of the door. _Oh, crap, that must be witchy. Took her long enough to get here. _He flashed into the entryway as Bonnie crashed through the door.

"Where is she?" the witch demanded.

"Good morning to you, too, Bonnie." Damon was not in the mood for Judgy's attitude; he'd already had his fill from the Original for one day. Suddenly, his brain felt like it was exploding and he dropped to his knees growling in pain.

"Don't screw with me, Damon! I'm not in the mood for your damn games! Where is she?" Bonnie was nearly frantic. After everything she'd done the night before to protect the people she loved, Elena had still been hurt. No, not hurt, killed. Elena had been killed and turned into a fucking vampire and Damon wanted to play games?

"Third floor, last door on the right. She's with Caroline." Bonnie immediately released him and ran toward the stairs. Damon took a few deep, relived breaths. "Wait, Bonnie! There's something else you should know before you go up there!"

Bonnie was only three steps up and stopped to look down at Damon as he slowly approached her. "Look, I shouldn't have been a dick to you; especially since I'm pretty sure you're going to be on my side on this one." Bonnie openly scoffed at him, looking back at him like he was crazy. "Elena got out last night…"

"What?" Bonnie turned around to fully face Damon, horror filling her. _Oh, please don't let her have turned into a killer, too._ "Did she…"

"No, no, Bonnie, she didn't hurt anyone," Damon quickly reassured her. He saw relief spread over her face and she lowered herself down onto the steps shakily. "We found out she was gone when Caroline got here and went up to the room she took over as hers. Where have you been, by the way?" She glared up at him with eyes shining with tears and he put up his hands in surrender. He really didn't want another witchy migraine. "I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just asking. I thought you'd be here a long time ago."

Bonnie looked away from him, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. She was consumed with guilt. She'd been with Klaus in Tyler's body, laying down ground rules for her continued help and hadn't checked her phone. Whatever her friends wanted to tell her, she didn't want Klaus to know. But, she couldn't tell Damon what she'd really been doing, not yet. She wasn't sure when she was going to tell them all, but right now she just needed to get to Elena and see for herself what had become of her.

Trying to compose herself, Bonnie took a deep breath and wiped at the tears falling down her face. God, she hated crying in front of Damon. Appearing weak in any way around him was never a good idea. "After blocking Klaus from any tracking spells, I went home to go through the grimoires that we took from the Martins. I was looking for a way to unlink Elena from Alaric. I never heard my phone…"

Damon could she how much she was struggling to not lose it in front of him. As much as the witch pissed him off, he did have a grudging respect for her. "It's okay, Bonnie, you're here now."

She looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to be nice to her in any way and found herself smiling softly at him. "You said something else happened. What?"

Maybe he should have waited until after Elena had the chance to tell her about Elijah. Bonnie didn't seem too stable right now and if either the witch or Original got hurt because he opened his mouth, Elena would not be happy with him.

"Damon, what is it?"

Well, he had to tell her now, she was panicking. "I was the one who found Elena. Or, I should say, I was the second vampire to find her. She was with Elijah in the middle of the woods."

Tears dried up almost instantly, replaced with burning fury. He could swear he actually felt power crackling off of her and through the air. Oh, he was so screwed if he couldn't calm her down before shit hit the fan. "Look, Bonnie, he wasn't hurting her, they were talking. Sort of. I think. I haven't actually got a definitive answer as to what exactly they were doing when I found them."

Bonnie was now angry, confused, and clearly exasperated. "What the hell do you mean you haven't gotten a definitive answer? Were they talking or not?"

"I don't know, Bonnie, ask her, she'll actually talk to you, she just yells at me." Damon threw up his hands in frustration.

Bonnie couldn't help but smirk at that. "Well if you were such an…"

"Ass, yeah, I know, already got that lecture from Vampire Barbie, don't need it from you, too, Judgy." He sighed with annoyance. "Getting back on topic, Elena insisted that she needs Elijah's help with her transition because he's so controlled and all that crap."

"But you said in your voice mail that his sister killed Elena, right?" Bonnie asked icily, staring at Damon in disbelief.

"Yes, I knew you'd see this my way. Elena and Blondie believe his bull about not knowing what the Original sister was up to. They actually think he's telling the truth about keeping the deal that he made with Elena and that Rebekah went off on her own and killed her. Caroline actually went on and on about _how much he respects her and that we didn't see him after Klaus died, he was hurting, but still wanted to keep Elena safe and was leaving as planned_ while Elijah lectured Elena in the study."

Bonnie couldn't help but side with Damon, to her own disbelief, and her irritation at Caroline was growing. Then the last part of what Damon said sunk in. She looked up at Damon in confusion. "Why was Elijah lecturing Elena?"

Damn! He'd said too much in his little rant! He should have been more careful. He could work around it though and be the hell out of this house by the time Bonnie got all the details and decided to fry his brain or just out and out kill him. "He was lecturing her on how she was not invulnerable and she needed to be more careful so that she didn't end up permanently dead. You know what a martyr she can be and so does everyone else who's ever met her. Oh, and Stefan invited him to stay to help Elena, so he's upstairs right now."

Okay, that confused Bonnie even more and she wondered what Damon _wasn't_ telling her so that she'd charge blindly upstairs and confront, well, everyone. Her own recent actions, while helping the others, had made it impossible for her to be there to help Elena which made her feel a little less holier-than-thou and a lot guiltier. So, although they definitely had some explaining to do, Elena and Caroline had been through enough. She wasn't going to charge up there yelling. She was going to go check on her two best friends, see how they were feeling and dealing and they could all go from there.

Damon watched her think over the information and the more she did, the more she calmed down. He just might be safe, at least for the moment.

"Thank you for filling me in, Damon. Third floor, last room on the right?" Bonnie stood up and looked at him wearily.

Unless she woke them up to talk, he had a feeling that Bonnie was just going to get in bed with the other two and pass out. "Yep. If you girls want any, I made coffee," he offered. Turning around, he headed back to get a quick cup. He listened intently to Bonnie's progress to Elena's room. He wanted to know what they talked about, if they talked about anything right now. And knowing if Bonnie found out about him accidentally staking Elena he could at least prepare himself for the witch's rage before all hell broke loose. _This is going to be another long day_, he thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome! I figured I would post this. It was supposed to be in the last chapter, but it ran so long, around 8,000 words, that I didn't add it.

* * *

"_Thank you for filling me in, Damon. Third floor, last room on the right?" Bonnie stood up and looked at him wearily. _

_Unless she woke them up to talk, he had a feeling that Bonnie was just going to get in bed with the other two and pass out. "Yep. If you girls want any, I made coffee," he offered. Turning around, he headed back to get a quick cup. He listened intently to Bonnie's progress to Elena's room. He wanted to know what they talked about, if they talked about anything right now. And knowing if Bonnie found out about him accidentally staking Elena he could at least prepare himself for the witch's rage before all hell broke loose. This is going to be another long day, he thought._

* * *

Elijah had just dozed off when he heard quiet footsteps coming down the hall. He stood up immediately and stalked silently to the door. When he smelled Bonnie's perfume mixed with various herbs, he relaxed a bit. He hadn't thought about the witch's absence last night, but now wondered where she had been. She was one of Elena's best friends and he found it strange that she wasn't there for her sooner. Then again, he knew how much she hated vampires and wondered if she was here for a confrontation.

Deciding to be prepared, he walked to the closet and quickly changed. He continued to listen as Bonnie stopped in front of Elena's room. She paused and took a few deep breaths, as if trying to gather her courage before she opened the door as silently as she could.

Foregoing his suit jacket and tie to save time, he approached the door in slacks and a shirt, rolling up the sleeves as he went. He paused, not wanting to disturb the women unless he felt his presence was required. Bonnie's attempts at silence did her no good as the quiet creaking of the door opening immediately alerted Caroline to her presence. Her sudden waking must have awoken Elena as well.

"What's going on?" He could hear the exhaustion in her voice and wished that Bonnie had given her more time to rest. He knew she needed it.

"Elena, Bonnie's here," Caroline's soft, reassuring voice replied to her.

He heard shifting as Elena turned to look at her friend. "Bonnie?"

"Oh, Elena, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here. I was home going through grimoires and didn't hear my phone." He heard the witch let out a quiet sob. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here," he heard her choke out.

"It's okay, Bonnie. I'm okay," Elena said her own voice strain with her grief. Leave it to her to try to comfort her friend when she was the one whose life had been turned upside down. Not to mention the jump in her heartbeat gave away her lie to make her friend feel better.

Since it appeared that there was no impending need to worry, he quietly left his room to retrieve blood for Elena and Caroline. Bonnie was human and he didn't want Elena to lose control around her. She'd never forgive herself if she hurt one of her best friends.

* * *

Caroline jerked awake at the sound of the door opening. Throwing back the covers, she jumped to her feet. She prepared to either defend Elena or chew out whichever Salvatore had the nerve to wake them up after the events of the night before. When she saw Bonnie enter with swollen, red-rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks, she immediately relaxed. She was about to go to her and hug her when she heard Elena stir behind her.

"What's going on?" Elena was still so tired that she could barely get her eyes to focus. But the way Caroline had leapt from the bed, she knew something had happened.

Caroline turned to Elena trying to decide who she felt worse for. Bonnie looked so upset, but Elena was clearly exhausted. "Elena, Bonnie's here." She kept her voice low, soft, and soothing.

Elena immediately sat up, looking behind Caroline to their witch friend. Bonnie looked terrible. She looked as tired as Elena felt and had clearly been crying. "Bonnie?"

Looking at her tired best friend, Bonnie's guilt increased tenfold. "Oh, Elena, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here. I was home going through grimoires and didn't hear my phone." She couldn't help the sob that tore itself from her chest. If only she'd been here she might have been able to help. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here," she managed to choke out.

Elena felt tears well up in her eyes at her friend's distress. "It's okay, Bonnie. I'm okay." It was as far from the truth as she could possibly be, but she wanted to do something to alleviate her friend's pain.

Caroline almost snorted at the blatant lie, but managed to refrain from calling Elena on it. She knew that she was just trying to make Bonnie feel better. She wished they hadn't finished all the booze last night; they could all use a drink right about now. God, she was becoming as bad as Damon. No more drinking. Okay, not much drinking, she bargained with herself.

Deciding that the two of them had looked at each other with tears pouring down their faces for long enough, she took Bonnie's hand and led her over to the bed. They both sat down, Caroline where she had slept and Bonnie on the edge with one leg tucked beneath her. She was turned to face her best friends.

Bonnie wasn't sure what she should say. Damon had said that Elena had asked Elijah to help her learn control, so that must mean she had chosen to transition. "Damon said that you decided to transition." She kept her voice as comforting as possible; she didn't want Elena to think she was judging her.

At that Caroline did snort in annoyance and Bonnie glanced at her, then to Elena. "What? Didn't you?" She panicked slightly. If Elena had chosen the alternative, then she was slowly dying and Bonnie didn't want to lose her.

Elena gave Caroline a look of irritation. Bonnie already hated Damon, with good reason. This would be just another thing for her to add to her list of horrible things he'd done. "I did transition as soon as Stefan and Damon got me back here from the hospital."

"Not that Damon was going to give you a choice," Caroline said.

"Are you saying you wish he hadn't insisted that I drink the blood bag?" Elena came back.

"No," Caroline admitted. She wouldn't tell Elena or Damon, but she was secretly grateful to him for forcing the issue. She didn't want to lose one of her best friends and she knew, after letting her father make the choice to die, she couldn't have forced Elena to turn, either.

"So Damon made you drink the blood?" Bonnie asked. She wanted to make sure she had all the information when she gave him his next migraine so that she could let him know _exactly_ what he was being punished for. She didn't like the fact that Elena hadn't been able to make the choice for herself, though she was glad Elena was still there with them.

"No, he didn't really force me to drink it, but he acted like he would if I didn't do it willingly. It's okay, Bonnie, I may not have wanted this, but I couldn't imagine leaving all of you." Elena's tears once again began to flow.

Bonnie crawled up the bed and pulled Elena into her arms. "I couldn't imagine you being gone, either." She felt her own hot tears run down her cheeks.

Elena held onto Bonnie, reveling in the fact that she didn't hate her for what she had become. Then the smell of her blood coursing beneath her skin assailed her senses and Elena felt the hunger coming back. She desperately wanted to pull away from Bonnie, but couldn't. She felt her face changing and her fangs dropping and tried to control herself, but was quickly losing the battle.

Caroline watched the two of them with tears of her own. While she was relieved at Bonnie's acceptance of Elena, she couldn't help but be a bit hurt and jealous. Bonnie had made her feel horrible until she finally decided to forgive her. But, she reasoned with herself, Bonnie had seen that she'd killed a man. Elena hadn't hurt anyone, so it was easier for Bonnie to not let her hatred for vampires cloud her vision with Elena. Even knowing all of this, it still hurt her. It was a bit of the old Caroline, the one she tried so hard to suppress, coming to the surface and she tried to crush her back down. She wasn't that girl anymore and she didn't want to be.

Then she noticed Elena's eyes changing and the veins creeping up her cheekbones. Panic filled her and she cried out, "Bonnie, move!" Before she could act to tear the two apart, someone ripped Elena away.

"Elena, stop." The commanding tone made Caroline shiver and, as she pulled a stunned Bonnie against her, she looked up. Elijah was there, one arm around Elena's waist and the other across her shoulders.

* * *

Elijah made his way back to Elena's room, blood bags in hand. He walked silently, listening to the conversation that was still taking place.

"So Damon made you drink the blood?" Bonnie sounded furious and Elijah couldn't blame her. His own reaction to the news had been similar.

He arrived at the room and peered in, careful to keep his presence unknown.

"No, he didn't really force me to drink it, but he acted like he would if I didn't do it willingly. It's okay, Bonnie, I may not have wanted this, but I couldn't imagine leaving all of you." He watched Elena's tears begin to fall and longed to enter and comfort her. But he couldn't intrude and he didn't want to show what he was feeling in front of her friends. He already felt uncomfortably vulnerable knowing that Elena was able to read him.

Elijah saw that the witch was quick to comfort her, though. Bonnie crawled up to Elena and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I couldn't imagine you being gone, either." He smiled slightly. It had been horrible for him when he thought she was gone. He was thankful that she was still here, as well.

He glanced to Caroline who had been unusually quiet. He noticed that she had no problem speaking her mind. She was watching the two of them with an expression somewhere between relief and envy. Before he could wonder why, he saw her eyes widen in fear.

Snapping his gaze back to Elena and Bonnie, he saw the veins and red eyes and flashed over to them, tossing the blood bags on the bed as he went. Just as Caroline yelled, "Bonnie, move!" he grabbed Elena, pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her to restrain her. "Elena, stop," he ordered her in his most commanding tone. He saw Caroline shudder at the tone out of his peripheral vision as she pulled Bonnie further away.

Elena started shaking in his embrace and he felt the sob that tore through her. "Oh, God, Bonnie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

He glanced up to Bonnie, who had gotten away from Caroline and stood on the other side of the bed. The look on her face flashed between hurt, betrayal, and anger. She just stood there staring at Elena as Caroline walked over to Bonnie to try to calm her down. When Caroline reached out to touch her arm, Bonnie threw it off and Caroline started to look panicked.

His irritation at the witch growing, he spun Elena around in his arm and gripped her shoulders. He called her name trying to get her attention as footsteps could be heard running up the hall. She was sobbing and so upset that her vampire features hadn't receded.

Stefan and Damon burst into the room, quickly taking in the scene.

"What did you do to her?" He looked up at the older Salvatore in anger, but was spared having to answer him by Caroline.

"He didn't do anything. He stopped Elena when she tried to attack Bonnie," Caroline whispered, trying to keep her voice low enough that Elena wouldn't hear her over her sobs.

"Bonnie are you alright?" Stefan asked, looking her over quickly to assess any damage.

"I'm fine," Bonnie said coldly, glaring from one brother to the other before stalking out of the room.

"He didn't do anything wrong. If he hadn't shown up I might not have been able to stop Elena by myself. She's really upset, so just try not to upset her more. I need to find Bonnie and calm her down."

Turning his attention fully back to Elena, he said, "Elena, you need to calm down. Bonnie is just fine."

She stepped closer to him and grabbed two handfuls of his shirt before burying her face in it. "You don't understand! Bonnie will never forgive me for doing this!" She had just lost her best friend forever because she couldn't control herself. It was all her fault. She could have killed her best friend. How could she be such a monster? Her legs felt too shaky to hold herself up and she leaned heavily into Elijah's comforting embrace.

She hadn't even hurt Bonnie and she was beating herself up with shame, self-loathing, and guilt. Elijah had to calm her down before it got any worse. Feeling her begin to collapse against him, he gently lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the bed.

He crouched in front of her and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Elena, Bonnie is fine, just in a bit of shock. Caroline is with her. You didn't hurt her, Elena."

She shook her head in his hands. "No, she's going to hate me. She hates vampires and she was trying to be understanding and I tried to kill her. She won't get over that! She'll never forgive me!" Elena felt so broken inside. She wished that she had just died the way she was prepared for, in Matt's truck in the lake where she should have died with her parents. She was too dangerous to the people she loved like this.

"Who cares what Judgy thinks, Elena? You made a mistake, we all do, even Bonnie. She'll get over it." Damon came forward, trying to be comforting in his own way.

"No, you don't know her, Damon, she won't get over this. She trusted me and I wanted to drain her!" Elena began to sob again. Why couldn't any of them understand that she knew Bonnie better than anyone, aside from Caroline. This was a deal breaker. There was no coming back from this.

"Well, if she won't get over it, screw her then. You have plenty of other people to help you. It doesn't matter what she thinks." Damon wanted to go downstairs and smack some sense into the witch. He hoped that Caroline was doing enough of that for both of them.

"It matters to me, Damon; I love her like a sister! I can't lose her! How can you not understand this?"

Stefan stepped next Damon and took him by the arm. "Just leave her be, brother. She needs to calm down."

Elijah composed himself as much as possible and then called her name. She turned to look at him, still in vampire mode, and still a crying, emotional wreck. "You need to calm down, Elena. Bonnie is still here, she hasn't left you. But you need to calm down before you can go see her."

Elena looked at him with slightly hopeful eyes. "I don't know how. Everything is just going a mile a minute…" she trailed off, raking her fingers through her hair and then holding her head.

"Yes, you do. The same way you did last night. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly." He once again demonstrated the breathing.

Elena tried it a few times, but it wasn't working. She panicked, grabbing hold of Elijah. "It isn't working!"

"It will if you let it. You need to try to relax. Just breathe." He showed her again, but it seemed to anger her more.

"How the hell are you so calm _all the time_?" In frustration she hit him in the chest with both of her fists. One hit for each of the last three words spoken.

He could see the brothers tense up as their jaws dropped at her audacity to hit him. Did they really think he would retaliate against Elena of all people? The girl herself looked up at him wide eyed. She'd never had a problem standing up to him, but now she looked the same way she had when she realized she'd bitten him and been making sexual advances. He let a soft, amused smile play on his lips. "Do you feel better now?"

"No." She pouted petulantly, averting her eyes. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her back to face him. He didn't even need to hear her heartbeat to know she was lying. Lashing out some of her frustration physically had helped emotionally. She just didn't want to admit that the small act of violence made her feel better. When she met his eyes, he didn't speak, just raised his eyebrows.

Elena couldn't believe she'd hit Elijah. Not that it seemed to do any damage; he hadn't even flinched let alone moved. But she didn't want it to have made her feel better, although it did. She wasn't a violent person by nature and she didn't want being a vampire to change that.

Elijah took her chin and gently turned her to meet his eyes. He didn't verbally call her on her lie; he just raised his eyebrows and called her bluff without a word. "Fine, it made me feel a little better. But I don't want it to. I can't go around hitting people every time I get upset." She sighed. She could feel her fangs retracting and the veins disappearing.

"You could always just hit Damon since he's usually the one that pisses you off, anyway," Caroline piped up from the doorway.

"Whatever, Vampire Barbie." Damon's glare was filled with resentment while Caroline had a sunny smile on her face.

Ignoring Damon, Caroline came in and sat next to Elena on the bed. "Bonnie's still here, Elena, and she wants to talk to you."

"Is she okay? Is she really mad?" Elena asked desperately, hoping that if the witch had chosen to stay then she could forgive her.

"No, sweetie, she's not mad. She was just in a bit of shock, that's all." Actually Caroline had to practically hog tie Bonnie to get her to listen to reason. But, in the end, Caroline had a good argument that Bonnie couldn't blow off.

"Do you feel better now, Elena?" Elijah asked. He knew very well that she was, but wanted confirmation.

Elena turned back to him and smiled softly. "Yes, thank you for stopping me and thank you for helping me. I'm sorry I hit you."

"You hit _him_?" The look on Caroline's face could only be described as incredulous.

"Yep, she punched the big, bad Original here a few times in frustration and he _let_ her." Damon answered for Elena sounding extremely annoyed by it.

"His utter calmness while I was freaking out was starting to piss me off and I didn't think he'd hurt me." Elena told her, once again looking shy and confused.

Caroline was starting to understand what Elena already guessed. Elijah would pretty much let Elena do what she needed to do to him in order to help her. At least anything that wasn't sexual, anyway. She began to wonder what the reasons were for that. She also wondered if Elena had any guesses or if she was completely oblivious to the implications.

"Are you really feeling better, Elena?" Elijah asked her softly.

Elena nodded. "I'm feeling emotionally better, but I'm starving." She was embarrassed to admit that she needed blood, but she was in a room full of vampires so she didn't know why.

"I'll get you some," Stefan offered, already heading to the door.

"No need, Stefan, I brought some up for Elena and Caroline," Elijah said. He pointed to the blood bags that had been scattered around the bed. "Drink up, Elena, get changed, and you can go speak to Bonnie." She looked up at him with eyes shining with gratitude. "I'll just be a moment; I'd like to change my shirt."

That's when Elena noticed the front of it was crumpled from her grabbing at it and it was soaked from her tears. "I'm sorry, Elijah, I didn't mean to ruin another shirt."

"It's fine, Elena. It isn't ruined and I have plenty more to change into. I'll be right back." He gave her a faint, reassuring smile.

"Okay, we'll be here," she called after him.

* * *

End Note: There's a bit of EE for you! Let me know if you liked it!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome! I skipped back a little to show Caroline and Bonnie's conversation while Elijah was trying to calm down Elena upstairs.

* * *

After explaining quickly what had happened to Stefan and Damon, Caroline ran to catch up with Bonnie before she could leave. She caught up to her just as Bonnie made it to the foyer. Reaching out, she grabbed her arm and turned her to face her as gently as she could, not wanting to hurt Bonnie.

"You can't leave like this, Bonnie! Elena needs us! She won't let Jeremy come over because she's afraid she'll hurt him. We're all she has right now."

"She tried to drain me, Caroline! Jeremy _shouldn't_ be anywhere near her!" She was furious, at Caroline, at Elena, and at herself. How could this have happened? What she had done was supposed to make everything okay, but instead it had blown up in her face.

"Bonnie, she couldn't control it. She hasn't been a vampire for even twenty four hours! How is she supposed to control _anything_?" Caroline knew she only had so much time to get Bonnie to listen to her. If she left now, Elena would never forgive herself and it would make it so much harder for her to adjust.

Bonnie scoffed at her. "I'm one of her best friends. I've done everything I could to help her and you say she couldn't control herself? She wanted _to kill me_, Caroline!"

"No she didn't, Bonnie. Elena would never do anything to hurt you, you have to know that." Caroline had softened her voice. She knew how much helping Elena had cost Bonnie. "It was the blood lust. All she knew was that you were human and she could smell your blood. It blinded her. She needs time to learn how to control it. You seem to forget that your Mom bit Jamie and that I bit Matt. We didn't want to hurt them, we just lost control."

Bonnie knew that Caroline was right. Elena would never hurt her intentionally. As much as it hurt her, she knew her Mom loved Jamie, probably more than she loved her own daughter, and wouldn't have hurt him. Caroline had been in love with Matt when she bit him and had broken up with him to protect him from being hurt by her again.

"You're right, Caroline, I know you're right, but…" She broke off as her tears started falling again. She took a deep breath as Caroline moved to wrap her arms around her. She allowed her best friend to comfort her for a few minutes before pulling back. She wiped her tears away and looked at Caroline. "Alright, I'll stay for a little while so that Elena knows that I forgive her. But, then I need to go check on Jeremy. He shouldn't be alone right now, not after everything he's lost."

Caroline felt relief spread through her and smiled at Bonnie before impulsively pulling her into a hug. "Thank you, Bonnie! I'll go get Elena and bring her down. It might be a few minutes because I can still hear her crying, but we'll be back as soon as we can." She released Bonnie and started toward the stairs. She paused and turned back around. "Just don't leave, please."

"I won't, I promise." Bonnie gave her a reassuring smile and Caroline smiled again before continuing on her way. With a sigh, Bonnie walked into the Salvatores' living room and sat down on the couch to wait for her friends to return.

* * *

After Elijah went to change his shirt, Caroline shooed the brothers out of the room. "We need to change and you are _so not_ staying in here for that. Go down and wait with Bonnie. And try not to piss her off, Damon."

Damon turned around to give Caroline some smart ass remark, but she slammed the door in his face. She wasn't going to get into it with him now that Elena was finally calm.

Caroline put a sunny smile on her face, attempting to look a lot less tired and stressed than she felt. Turning around, she made her way back to the bed and sat down. Elena was already draining a blood bag and Caroline picked one up for herself. She studied the new vampire as she drank her own, silently thanking Elijah for bringing them up. She looked exhausted, but less upset, which was a small step in the right direction.

"Is Bonnie really okay?" Elena watched Caroline closely to see if she was being truthful when she answered.

"Yep, I swear, Elena. She said she'd stay for a while and then she's going to go check on Jeremy." Caroline paused trying to phrase her next question so as not to send Elena on another crying spree. "Do you want her to bring Jeremy by later?"

Elena emphatically shook her head no. "Not yet, not until I have some control. I can't hurt him."

"Okay, in a few days then." Seeing the tears forming in Elena's eyes, she quickly changed the subject. "Do you have something I can borrow to wear? I don't have anything with me."

Elena smiled at her. "I have some stuff here that you're welcome to." She knew Caroline was trying to change the subject so she wouldn't dwell on her brother not being here and Elena appreciated it.

"Well then," Caroline said, jumping up after the blood bags were empty, "we should get dressed and get downstairs."

* * *

I apologize for the long wait and the short, not quite up to par chapter. I haven't been feeling all that great and have been busy on top of that. I will try really, really hard to get another, longer, chapter up soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome!

* * *

Damon blinked in surprise as the door slammed shut in his face. He turned to his brother, pointing at the door with an incredulous look on his face. "Did Vampire Barbie really just slam the door in my face?"

"Yes, she did. You were being an ass and Elena is upset enough. Why don't we just go close the blinds and drapes so that Elena doesn't burst into flames on her way downstairs? You can continue antagonizing _Caroline_ later." Stefan started to walk backwards toward the stairs, hoping his older brother would follow him.

After one more irritated glance at the door, Damon followed Stefan who turned around as the other vampire caught up with him. "Did you know that those two stole two of my best vintage last night?"

Stefan sighed. "Is that the reason for your extra bad attitude today?" There was no way that was all that was bothering Damon and he had a good idea as to what the other reason was.

"You mean besides the Original that _you_ invited to stay here even though it was _his sister_ that killed Elena in the first place?" Damon stopped at the first landing and glared up at his brother before closing the blinds and securing the heavy drapes over them.

"Damon, she wants him here." After his brother snorted and start down the next flight of steps, Stefan's irritation increased. He caught up to his brother and grabbed his arm. Damon stopped and turned around to glare at Stefan. "You know how stubborn she is, Damon! If she wants his help, she'll find a way to get it, with or without our support. If he's here, we can at least keep an eye on their interactions and make sure he doesn't do anything to hurt her. If any of us are going to help her, you need to at least make an effort to get along with Elijah. If you don't you're just going to push her away. Do you really want that to happen?"

Damon wanted to refute his brother's logic, but ended up agreeing. He didn't want Elena running off on her own and trying to figure everything out for herself. She'd end up losing control and killing someone. He didn't think she'd be able to handle that. "Fine," he growled out through gritted teeth. "But if this goes sideways, the way it _always_ does where the Originals are concerned, it's on you, Brother."

Stefan nodded, knowing this was all he was going to get in the way of cooperation from Damon. "Then it'll be on me," he agreed.

* * *

Damon walked into the living room to see Bonnie sitting on one of the couches. "Witchy," he greeted her as he walked to the windows to shut the drapes.

"Why couldn't you just let her make her own choice, Damon?" Bonnie couldn't deny that she was happy that Elena was still alive, more or less, but it should have been her decision, not his.

Damon finished with the windows before turning to look at Bonnie. He couldn't remember her ever looking as haggard as she did right now, which tempered his attitude when he answered her. "Because I was so relieved that she wasn't completely dead that I didn't want to take the chance she'd refuse to transition. Would you really have had her decide that?"

"No," Bonnie acknowledged, looking away from him for a minute before turning her gaze back to him. "But, I might have been able to do something to change it, to prevent her from dying or turning." She was feeling so guilty and very desperate. She would have tapped back into the dark magic she'd used to desiccate Klaus to save Elena.

Damon sighed, trying to control his temper. "There is no cure for vampirism, Bonnie. You know that as well as I do." She looked like she wanted to argue with him, but just looked down at the hands she had folded in her lap. She looked defeated and worn and he couldn't help the surge of sympathy that suddenly washed over him. "I'm gonna get some coffee, would you like a cup?"

"Already done, Brother," Stefan said, entering the room with a small tray filled with coffee mugs, cream, and sugar. Setting it down, he handed one of the steaming mugs to Bonnie.

"Thank you," she said before looking over at Damon and giving him a small smile of acknowledgement for the offer.

Understanding the message, Damon smiled back at her with a slight nod as Stefan said, "You're welcome."

Both vampires suddenly turned their attention toward the stairs and Bonnie stood up nervously, placing her mug down on the coffee table. She had to support Elena, but she was now understandably uneasy in her presence. Taking a deep breath, she willed away the uneasiness and straightened up. She put on an understanding smile as Elena, with Caroline at her side and Elijah behind her, entered the room.

Elena looked at Bonnie apprehensively and Bonnie couldn't help but go over to her. She gave Elena a quick hug, making sure that it only lasted a second so as not to tempt Elena before pulling away. She could see her friend appreciated the gesture.

Relief flooded through her when Bonnie actually hugged her. It only lasted a second but Elena was grateful for show of support and forgiveness. "Bonnie, I'm so sorry," she started.

As soon as Elena tried to apologized, Bonnie shook her head. "I know how hard this is on you, Elena. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. But, you'll be fine; you've got all of us to help you get through this."

"Thank you, Bonnie." Elena felt relief flow through her and glanced at a beaming Caroline. For the first time, she began to feel like she would be able to get through this. If Bonnie was still willing to be supportive after what happened, then Elena swore she'd work as hard as she could to find control.

"Come on, let's sit down. I smell coffee," Caroline said. She flashed both her friends a sunny smile and looped the arm that was not wrapped around Elena's through Bonnie's and led the girls over to the couch.

* * *

He crept quietly to the edge of the woods surrounding Salvatore Boarding House. Training his hearing, he picked up on the conversation between the Doppelganger, witch, and baby vampire. Apparently, the Doppelganger had done something to anger the witch, who was being surprisingly forgiving for a witch. They were such a self-righteous lot. He continued to listen, hoping to find out what had happened, but it wasn't mentioned again. He heard the voices of the brothers, as well, as they discussed things he couldn't care less about.

Finally, about half an hour or so later, he watched the witch leave and decided to make himself known.

* * *

Hope this was a bit better than the last chapter, lol. Sorry there was Elena/Elijah interaction in this chapter, but I wanted to go through the other characters interactions as well. I have time, so I'm going to work on the next chapter and hope to have it up within a week or so.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome!

* * *

_He crept quietly to the edge of the woods surrounding Salvatore Boarding House. Training his hearing, he picked up on the conversation between the Doppelganger, witch, and baby vampire. Apparently, the Doppelganger had done something to anger the witch, who was being surprisingly forgiving for a witch. They were such a self-righteous lot. He continued to listen, hoping to find out what had happened, but it wasn't mentioned again. He heard the voices of the brothers, as well, as they discussed things he couldn't care less about._

_Finally, about half an hour or so later, he watched the witch leave and decided to make himself known._

Elijah listened to Bonnie's car pull down the driveway while observing Elena's demeanor. She seemed a lot more relaxed than she had been since he encountered her yesterday. He was intensely relieved that Bonnie had decided to forgive her; else he was positive that the Elena he'd be looking at would be in a very different emotional state.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. He glanced up to see the brothers exchange a look.

"Who the hell could that be?" Stefan looked tense and apprehensive.

"Well, it can't be the council. We'd have heard them and I doubt they'd be polite enough to knock." Damon finished his bourbon before looking pointedly at his younger brother. "If you're so curious, go answer the door."

Stefan sighed and went to find out who their visitor was. Damon smirked as he watched his annoyed brother exit the room before turning around and refilling his glass. "You know the damnedest thing happened this morning, girls." He paused and looked up at Elena and Caroline who exchanged glances.

"Really, Damon," Caroline began innocently, "what was that?"

Damon gave her an evil smirk. "Well, I got up, showered, shaved, got dressed, and came down here to get some blood and start the coffee. But when I walked by this room, I noticed the liquor cabinet door ajar. I didn't think I left it open, so I went over to see what that was all about and you know what?"

Caroline didn't blink, flinch, or look away, which irritated him almost as much as when she happily asked, "What?"

He heard Elena snicker and threw her an angry glance. Seeing his expression, she tried to put a serious look on her face, but failed miserably. "Well, so glad you asked, Blondie." He came around to stand directly in front of them and glared down at both of them. "Two of my best vintage had disappeared. I don't suppose that the two of you would have any idea where they are, do you?"

Caroline and Elena exchanged a look then faced him again. They both opened their mouths to reply when Stefan chose that moment to come back into the room. He growled in frustration as he got the entire room's attention when he said, "Elijah, someone is here to see you."

Looking up at his brother, he did a double take of the person who stepped in behind him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I thought that Stefan already covered that. I'm here to see my brother, Damon," Kol replied with a smirk firmly planted on his face. He turned his attention to Elijah. "I'm sorry that I didn't answer your call last night. I was… otherwise occupied." He looked briefly at the Doppelganger who was staring at him in shock and then at the little blonde that Klaus had been so interested in. _She_ obviously didn't trust him at all with the expression currently painted on her face. Oh, well, he supposed he did take some getting used to. "Anyway, I came as soon as I listened to the voicemail you left."

Elijah thought about asking him what he'd been preoccupied doing, but thought better of it. He'd find out later, he wasn't in the mood for one of Kol's tales right now. Instead, he opted for something less confrontational. "I was just checking in on you. I didn't mean you had to drop everything and come back here."

Kol walked further into the room shrugging his shoulders. "I know, but I do like this little town." Truth was, he knew Rebekah was coming back and that Elijah was already here and, now that they didn't have to run for their lives, he wanted to spend a bit of time with the family he had left. The death of two of his siblings had hit him harder than he'd ever admit. He hadn't seen Finn in nine hundred years and he'd been incredibly pissed at Nik, but they were immortal. He knew that Nik would have eventually undaggered Finn and that he'd eventually forgive him for daggering him for over a hundred years. He would have been a prick and milked favors from Nik for a few centuries, but, when you have forever, that wasn't really all that long. Now his whole world had been skewed. He never even considered that any of them would ever die. They were invincible. Now he was down to two siblings and feeling as though he had to spend time with them because they _could_ die, they _could_ be taken from him, too. Brushing these thoughts away, he stopped at the liquor. Picking up a glass, he grabbed a decanter and then looked up at Damon, smirking. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Stefan cut in while Damon looked at him as though he was crazy and said, "Yes!"

"Great, thank you, Stefan," he said, pouring some of the amber liquid into his glass. He glanced up to see Damon give his brother a furious look while the two girls glanced at each other nervously and Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose. God, he really did enjoy creating havoc. He decided not to further annoy his own older brother and changed the subject. "I called Rebekah to thank her for showing me how to listen to my voicemails. She told me something interesting and asked that I pass it along to you, Brother." He saw the Doppelganger's eyes narrow in anger out of his peripheral vision and couldn't really blame her for her ire. He chose not to comment on it and continued. "She opened Nik's casket…"

Elijah's head snapped up and his jaw tensed. "Why would she do that?"

Kol shrugged. "I don't know, something about closure. Anyway, Nik's body is pretty much intact. He didn't burn up."

"Wait a minute, I was there. His body caught fire, and then Ric removed the stake and closed the casket." He looked back and forth between Kol and Elijah, neither of which looked very happy about the interruption or his observations.

"Well, the casket is flammable. The fact that it didn't go up in flames should have clued you in on his body not being a pile of ash." Kol glared at Damon for daring to interrupt him. After breaking eye contact with him, he looked back at Elijah. "Do you think that has something to do with this lot still being alive? Relatively, of course."

Elijah's mind whirled with possibilities. Klaus' body should have been burned to ash. Why hadn't it? He didn't think that would have kept those of his line alive if his spirit had been released from his body. His jaw clenched in frustration. He hated not having all the facts. Something strange was clearly going on here and he was almost desperate to find out what it was. "I have no idea, Kol, but I'll look into it."

Elena didn't want to be in the room another minute while Elijah discussed Rebekah and Klaus with the brother who tried to kill Matt. Although she was also wondering why they weren't all dead, she knew that someone would tell her when they finally figured it out. She gave Caroline a look and then said, "I'm going to go shower and change."

"A shower sounds great!" Caroline agreed. While she liked Elijah well enough, Kol had tried to kill Matt and she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

Though neither female vampire realized it, both Kol and Damon had to refrain from asking the girls if they could watch if they were going to shower together. Damon didn't want to embarrass Elena in front of Elijah and Kol, and Kol didn't want to anger Elijah since he would take such a suggestion as a smear against Elena's honor. Though each man caught the other smirking and realized that they'd been thinking the same thing.

The girls didn't notice the looks on Damon's or Kol's faces because they'd made for the stairs, but Elijah and Stefan did. Those two also exchanged a knowing look, wondering if the other two males in the room realized how alike they were. Elijah wasn't sure which one would be more indignant if they were made aware of that particular fact.

* * *

Caroline had taken her shower in one of the other bathrooms while Elena used the one in their room. As she walked back in, towel drying her hair as she went, her phone began to ring. After throwing the towel over her shoulder so it draped over her front and back, she picked it up. Seeing her Mom's name on the screen she immediately answered. "Hey, Mom."

Elena walked out of the bathroom in their room with a towel wrapped around her head as her mother said, "Caroline, something happened last night."

Elena's eyes widened as Caroline looked at her panicked. Had someone found Tyler's body and told Mayor Lockwood? Was her Mom calling to find out what had happened? Forcing herself to calm down, she walked over to the bed and set the towel down on it. "What happened?" she asked, turning to look at Elena for support.

"Caroline," her mother hesitated for a moment and all her fears came slamming back into her. "Someone killed the entire counsel last night. The old farmhouse that belongs to Pastor Young exploded while they were in a meeting. They're all dead, Caroline." Caroline fell back onto the bed behind her as her mother's voice choked with emotion. She was still staring at Elena who had grabbed hold of the dresser to steady herself. Both girls had known those people their entire lives and, even though they had wanted to kill them, it hadn't been personal; it had been because they were vampires. They couldn't help but feel the pain of their loss and the pain that their families would also be feeling.

Caroline blinked back tears, trying to wrap the information around in her head. "How? Who? Oh, my God, Mayor Lockwood wasn't there, was she?"

"No, Caroline, she wasn't. After you and Tyler left we were both relieved of our jobs and questioned about you. We were released and apparently they didn't tell anyone else because I was called by a deputy to the scene of the explosion as the sheriff. Carol had been called out there, too. We have no idea who did this, but it's safe for you and Tyler to come home. How far away are you?"

"Um," Caroline said while looking around, "not too far. I can make it back pretty quick." She couldn't help but smirk at Elena who flashed a smile filled with conspiracy.

"I'll call Carol and let her know that the two of you are on the way."

Panicking, Caroline quickly said, "No, Mom, wait! I have to talk to you first, before you call Mayor Lockwood."

"Why, Caroline? What's wrong?" Caroline rolled her eyes; her Mom had switched into sheriff mode.

"Mom, please, I just really need to talk to you first. Promise me you won't say anything to her before I see you." Caroline was so not above begging at this point if her mother continued to press the point.

"Fine, I won't, but she does know that I'm calling you, so she'll be expecting Tyler already. Did something happen to him, Caroline?"

"Mom, I'll meet you at home in half an hour. I love you and I'll tell you everything then." Caroline hung up the phone and sat there with her hands in her lap.

Elena felt horrible for her friend and walked over to hug her. "Do you want me to come with you, Care?"

Shaking her head, Caroline embraced Elena. "No, you need to stay here for a bit longer, until you have a bit more control, but thank you for asking." She held onto Elena taking comfort from her for a few minutes until she felt strong enough to do what she needed to do. Pulling away, she smiled at Elena and got up. "I need to get dress and get out of here before my mom runs into Mayor Lockwood."

She dressed hurriedly and threw her hair up into a ponytail. Glancing in the mirror, she groaned. She couldn't believe she was walking out in public looking like this. She turned and hugged Elena one more time. "I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Of course, Care, don't rush, just do what you need to do. I love you."

"I love you, too, and if you need me, you call me! I mean it, Elena! I'm going to help you get through this and as soon as I deal with… this, I'll come right back."

"Okay, hurry, you're going to be late!" Elena said with a small smile.

"Crap," Caroline said, checking the time on her phone. "Bye."

* * *

Carol Lockwood went to answer her door, hoping it was Tyler, but knowing that it wasn't. Tyler would have just walked in. After opening the door, she saw a beautiful girl with soft brown curls and brown eyes standing at her door. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yeah. Is Tyler here?"

Carol watched the girl nervously shift from one foot to another. "No, he isn't here, but he should be back soon."

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. My name is Hayley. I helped out Tyler when he was in the Appalachian Mountains. I just wanted to see how he was doing."

The girl, Hayley, gave Carol a small smile. "I'm Carol Lockwood, Tyler's mother. I'm not sure when exactly he'll be back. Do you want to wait for him?"

"No, that's okay. I don't want to bother you. I can just come back later. Thank you." Hayley turned around and began to walk away.

Carol thought that Tyler would probably go to Caroline's with her before he came home. She supposed that since Hayley had helped Tyler, she could direct her there and they could meet up. "Hayley," she called out to her.

"Yes," she answered, turning back around to face the mayor.

"He's probably at Caroline's, or will be soon," she told her before giving the girl directions to the sheriff's house.

* * *

When Caroline arrived home, she saw her mother's sheriff's car in the driveway. She jumped out after grabbing her purse and cell. Her mother met her at the door in her uniform and threw her arms around her.

"I'm so happy you're home," Liz told her daughter as she pulled away to look at her.

"Me, too, Mom," Caroline replied, smiling at her mother as the sheriff looked at her. "We should go in."

"Right," Liz said, guiding her daughter into the house. After they both sat on the couch in the living room, Liz turned to her pale daughter. Noting that she looked tired and had no make-up on or her hair done, she couldn't help but worry. Caroline never left her room without looking completely perfect, let alone go out in public the way she did now. "What happened, Caroline?" She watched her daughter's eyes fill with tears and it broke her heart.

"Alaric killed Klaus last night. After Klaus died, Tyler died because of the blood bond." Caroline couldn't hold back her tears in front of her mother. She needed the kind of comfort that only your mom can provide. She didn't have to wait very long, as Liz pulled her into her arms and Caroline sobbed. "He wouldn't even let me stay with him. He made me leave. He was all alone, Mom."

As Caroline choked out the words, Liz closed her eyes as her own tears began to flow. She had known Tyler his entire life and she had no idea how she was going to break the news to Carol. She pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to be here for her daughter right now, she could deal with the rest of it later. She held Caroline, running one hand through her hair while rubbing her back with the other. She let Caroline tell her everything she wanted and just held her, letting her get out all of her pain.

Once Caroline had calmed down and pulled away, she looked at her mother for a moment. She thought about how far their relationship had come _after _she became a vampire. Which was totally messed up since her mother had spent her entire life hating vampires, but she'd changed her mind once she saw that Caroline was still her daughter. Not that she suddenly loved vampires or anything, but her transformation had shown Liz that not all vampires were evil killers and her mother had accepted her and continued to love and protect her.

"Thanks, Mom." She smiled sadly at her mom.

"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to thank me. I'm your Mom; this is what I'm here for, okay?" Liz quickly wiped away her tears and smiled back at her daughter. "Can I get you anything?"

"Maybe some tea? I'm going to go get cleaned up and blow my nose." Caroline stood up and walked out into the hall to grab a few tissues and blew her nose. Looking in the mirror, she wiped her face and winced at her looks. She really looked like the living dead right now.

There was a knock at the door and Caroline looked down the hall to see a brown-haired girl standing at the door. "I got it, Mom," she called out as she walked down the hall to answer the door. "Can I help you?" she asked after opening the door.

The girl looked surprised to see her. "Maybe, I was looking for Tyler Lockwood. His mom said he might be here."

"Who are you?" Caroline asked, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach. She'd never seen this girl before, who was she to Tyler?

"My name is Hayley. I met him when he was… traveling in the Appalachian Mountains." Hayley didn't know if this blonde knew what Tyler was and didn't want to give him away if she wasn't aware of his condition.

"I'm Caroline. Why don't you come in?" Caroline relaxed a little, even though her stomach was still knotting. Once she had led Hayley back to the living room and asked her to sit down, she asked. "Did you… Did you help Tyler when he was there?" Caroline was hopeful that this girl was just a part of the pack that she knew had helped Tyler to break his sire bond to Klaus.

"You know about that?" Hayley asked surprised.

"Yeah, I'm the Caroline he went there to break the sire bond for." She watched Hayley's face fall and her mouth open in shock.

"He went there to break the sire bond for you? Is he here now?" Hayley couldn't believe that Tyler had never talked about this girl. Even after all they'd been through, trying to break his bond to the Original Hybrid, and after they'd been together, he still hadn't told her. Just up and left once he was sure that the bond had been broken.

Caroline swallowed hard. "He never mentioned me, did he?" she whispered. Hayley slowly shook her head no. "Were you two… Were you two together?"

"Yes, we were, but I didn't know anything about you." Hayley was furious and she could see that Caroline was, too. But she also seemed to be extremely sad. "Where is he?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, Hayley, but Tyler is dead. A hunter killed Klaus and he died because of the blood bond." Caroline blinked back tears as Hayley once again looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"But, I thought that no one could kill and Original, let alone Klaus." It couldn't be true, Hayley thought. She once again took in Caroline's appearance and how emotionally drain she appeared and knew that she wasn't lying.

"It's a long story, but this hunter was able to kill him."

Liz came into the room and asked, "Who was at the door, Caroline?" After noticing Hayley, she glanced at her daughter. "Who's this?"

"This is Hayley. The girl Tyler was seeing when he was trying to break his sire bond." Caroline told her mother, looking at her with an expression mixed with pain, grief, and betrayal.

Liz was speechless. How could Tyler do this to Caroline? And why did she have to find out about it now? There was another knock at the door, pulling the sheriff out of her thoughts. "I'll get it so you two can talk."

Liz walked down the hall and gasped when she opened the door. "Oh, my God."

She heard Caroline call to her from the other room and come out into the hallway. She heard Caroline gasp.

Caroline couldn't believe who she saw standing at her door. How was it even possible? Her mom looked back at her and moved out of the way so that the new visitor could enter the house. "Tyler?" she gasped out before meeting him half way down the hall and throwing her arms around him. "How are you alive?"

Then she heard Hayley come out of the living room behind her to see what was going on and she felt all of the betrayal and rage at him. She flung him down the hall toward Hayley. The girl side stepped, out of the way of his flying body before turning to look at him with a scathing glare. She felt a surge of approval for the girl who had been as completely fooled as she had been.

"You let me think you were dead! I was mourning you, wondering how the hell I was going to tell your mother you were gone! Then Hayley showed up and I found out about your extra-curricular activities when you were trying to break your sire bond!"

Tyler looked at her in surprise from his place on the floor before looking over to the brown haired girl that Caroline had stalked up next to. They were both giving him death glares and he couldn't help but start laughing. "So, Tyler was being a naughty boy, was he, Love?"

Both girls looked surprised at his reaction. He almost wished that he had waited to say anything. Caroline was magnificent when she was angry.

"You're talking about yourself in the third person now?" She was incredulous. Had changing so many times fried his brain? The she realized exactly what he'd said. "Did you just call me 'Love?"'

"I did," he affirmed as he stood and dusted himself off. He looked pointedly at Caroline.

"You're not Tyler, you're Klaus." She felt like they've been punch in the gut suddenly. How the hell had this happened? "That's why we're still alive and why your body is still intact, because you're not dead."

"Very good, Caroline." He smirked and began to slowly stalk toward her. The other girl backed away, but Caroline stood firm before him. He saw her mother come forward quickly, as though she would be able to protect her daughter if he wanted to harm her. He felt a rush of anger and longing. That was how a mother was supposed to be, willing to end her life to protect her child, not to try to kill them. He shook the feelings off, forcing them away. "Bonnie decided to put me in Tyler's body as insurance that you lot would stay alive if the Salvatores screwed up and Alaric found us before my sister could retrieve my body. Though, she didn't bother to tell me that my body was still intact. I'm going to have to have a little talk with her about that."

Caroline couldn't believe that Bonnie hadn't told her or Elena earlier. But when Klaus subtly threatened her, Caroline had to defend her. Bonnie's motives were to help them all and they'd been through so much that she may not have wanted to upset them more than they already were. "Bonnie didn't know. Kol came to the Boarding House and we found out then."

Klaus looked at her in confusion. "Why was Kol at the Salvatores'?"

Caroline bit her lip. Maybe she'd said too much. How would Klaus react to his human blood bag being turned into a vampire. Then anger filled her again. It was his fault that Elena had vampire blood in her system when his bitch of a sister killed her. "Because Elijah is there helping Elena with her transition."

"What did you say?" he growled. How had Elena become a vampire? Who'd killed her?

"After you tried to bleed her dry and Tyler, Stefan, and Damon desiccated you, they took Elena home. Everyone thought she was okay, aside from the blood loss. But, when you and Tyler were fighting and she hit her head, she was hurt badly. Jeremy found her unconscious and bleeding and took her to the hospital. The doctor used vampire blood to heal her because she was dying but didn't tell anyone. Then, after they thought you'd died, Rebekah jumped in front of Matt's truck on Wickery Bridge. Matt swerved to miss her and the truck went into the lake. Stefan got there, but Elena told him to save Matt first. She was dead by the time he went back to get her."

"So, then Alaric is dead?" he asked. He wasn't sure how to feel about Elena being a vampire. On one hand, the threat to him was gone, but so was his dream of an army of hybrids.

"Yes, Alaric is dead and no one is going to let you kill Elena just because she's a vampire now." Caroline was trying to be brave, but she was terrified for Elena. She knew she couldn't protect her from Klaus and hoped that Elijah could and that Kol would help if only to spite Klaus for putting him in a coffin for a century.

"I'm not going to kill her, Love. There's no reason for me to. I did, however, take care of your other little problem." He looked from Caroline to the sheriff. "Well, both of your little problem."

He watched them exchange a look before Liz's head snapped back to look at him in realization.

"You killed the council, didn't you?" Liz asked him.

"You can thank me later," he replied with a smirk. "Now, Caroline, why don't we go fetch Bonnie and go see my brothers? I'd like to get back into my own body and then you two girls can get back to kicking Tyler's ass."

* * *

I'd like to thank Fawkes Devaue for the idea of getting Hayley and Caroline together before they find out he's still alive. I totally hadn't thought about it at all, though I did change it around a bit. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you guys and girls think!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything to do with The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You are all awesome! Sorry it took so long for the update!

* * *

"_You killed The Council, didn't you?" Liz asked him._

"_You can thank me later," he replied with a smirk. "Now, Caroline, why don't we fetch Bonnie and go see my brothers? I'd like to get back into my own body and then you two girls can get back to kicking Tyler's ass." _

"Fine, just give me a second to find out where Bonnie is." Caroline was still a bit unhappy with the witch, but, as her best friend, the least she could do was warn her about what was going on. She turned around to go up to her room to make it a little harder for Klaus to listen in on their conversation.

Klaus let out an exasperated sigh. "You need to go upstairs to call the witch? Can't you do it from the car?" Now that he knew he could get out of this body, he was eager to do just that. He didn't want to wait a moment longer than absolutely necessary.

Caroline stopped on the stairs and turned around to glare at him. "Yes, I need to go upstairs," she hissed out. "I need to grab a few things."

Continuing on her way to her room, Caroline frowned. Why the hell had she felt the need to tell him why she was doing anything? She chalked it up to stress and pushed it out of her mind. Going into the bathroom off her bedroom, she turned on the faucet and called Bonnie.

She looked into the mirror above the sink while waiting for Bonnie to pick up. She wouldn't have time to do her hair, but she could at least put on some make-up while she talked to her friend. She perched the phone on her shoulder and opened the drawer where she kept her cosmetics as Bonnie answered the phone.

"Caroline? Is everything okay? Did something happen with Elena?" Bonnie asked immediately.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the question. "No, Elena hasn't killed anyone, Bonnie. I'm not calling about her."

She heard her friend sigh as she began to apply foundation. "That's not what I meant, Caroline. She's in a house with Damon, Stefan, and an Original that they've tried to kill multiple times. It doesn't make for a pleasant atmosphere. And Damon almost killed her trying to kill Elijah last night, remember?"

She had to admit that Bonnie had a point, but she still thought that the witch had also wanted to know if Elena had lost control again. Deciding not to argue with her about that when she had other things to argue with her about Caroline said, "You're right, Bonnie, I'm sorry. I'm just kinda stressed. A girl named Hayley showed up here at my house and said she knew Tyler. I invited her in after she said that she helped him when he was trying to break the sire bond and do you know what she told me?" Caroline was in full rant mode as she began applying blush and didn't give Bonnie a chance to answer the question. "He was sleeping with her! He was cheating on me while he was supposedly breaking the sire bond for me!"

"He was what? Do you think she's telling you the truth? Wait, what are you doing at home? The Council is looking for you! They are probably watching your house, Caroline!"

"I guess you haven't heard, yet. Someone blew The Council up last night at Pastor Young's farmhouse. My Mom called me and told me it was safe to come home. I told her I had to talk to her before she told Mayor Lockwood that Tyler and I were coming home. I'd just gotten done telling her that he was dead when Hayley showed up. While we were talking, someone else showed up. Guess who that was, Bonnie."

Bonnie got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had a pretty damn good guess who it was, even though he'd promised her he'd stay away from everyone until she'd had time to tell them what she'd done. Of course, she should have known better than to trust his word. But, just in case she was wrong about her suspicions, she asked, "Who?"

"Tyler, or should I say Klaus. You were with us this morning, Bonnie! How could you not tell us?"

Guilt surged through Bonnie at Caroline's hurt and accusing tone. "I'm sorry, Caroline, I was going to tell you, but then, with everything that happened with Elena, I didn't know if it was the right time."

"You didn't know if it was the right time? I thought Tyler was dead, Bonnie! I was a wreck, but tried to keep it together for Elena! You should have told us!" Caroline couldn't help the resentment and anger she was feeling.

"I know, Caroline, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for putting you through that. I never meant to hurt you or have you go through that," Bonnie said in a pleading tone. She hope that her best friend would know that she wouldn't have ever done that to her maliciously.

Caroline sighed. She knew that Bonnie would never have tried to hurt her on purpose, but that didn't mean what she did was okay. She heard Klaus call up to her in Tyler's annoyed voice. "Just a minute!" she yelled back. "Bonnie, I need to tell you something and I don't have much time left. Kol showed up at the Boarding House right after you left. He told Elijah and the rest of us that Rebekah had opened Klaus' casket and his body wasn't burned up like we thought it would be. When Klaus got here looking like Tyler, I told him. He wants to come and get you so that you can put him back inside his own body. I managed to get up to my room to call and warn you, but he's getting impatient. We'll be leaving here in a minute or two."

"Oh, my God. Caroline, I can try, but desiccating Klaus and then putting him in Tyler's body really drained me. I'm going to have to rest for a few days at least before I can even attempt to put him back." Bonnie was exhausted from lack of sleep, as well. She was almost positive that she would have to rest or she'd never be able to complete the spell. She just hoped that they could convince Klaus to wait a few days.

"Well, once you, Klaus, and I get back to the Boarding House, you can rest. Rebekah isn't on her way back yet, so, hopefully, it'll be a few days until Klaus can try to force you to do it." Caroline threw her cosmetics back into her make-up bag and grabbed a few more things she'd need from the bathroom. "He can't hold you prisoner at the Boarding House; I don't think his brothers would let him. He's not the all-powerful Original Hybrid right now, so you can go back to the Gilberts' after he does whatever the hell he's planning to do."

"Okay, Caroline, I'll be ready when you guys get here. Wait, does he know about Elena? What if her tries to hurt her when he gets his body back?" Bonnie was panicking and her heart was racing.

"I told him and he was irritated, but said that she was no longer his problem. He was planning on killing her himself, remember? I think he's somewhere between being relieved at not having to fear for his life and angry that he lost his human blood bag. I gotta go before he leaves without me. See you when I get there." Caroline disconnected the call, turned off the faucet, took a deep breath, and went back downstairs.

* * *

Elena was still hiding out in her room, even though she was listening to the irritated and aggressive comments coming from Damon and Kol. Elijah and Stefan were trying to keep the peace, but both were growing exasperated.

Finally, Elijah seemed to have enough of their bickering. "Kol, you must be hungry, I'll show you where the blood bags are."

"You'll what?" Damon asked incredulously.

"Yes, please help yourself. I'm sorry for being rude and not offering sooner." Stefan had raised his voice to be heard above his brother.

"Really, Brother? Blood bags? Isn't there anything… fresher?" Kol said, his voice dripping with distain. Elijah must have sent him one hell of a look because he quickly amended his statement. "I mean, blood bags sound wonderful. Lead the way, Brother."

Elena heard Damon go into a rant at Stefan shortly after, so she assumed the Original brothers must have left the room. Her stomach had begun growling as soon as blood had been mentioned, but she didn't want to leave the room, yet. Not with tempers so close frayed down there.

A few minutes later she heard a soft knock on her door and frowned. She hadn't heard anyone come up the stairs or down the hall. She wondered if Caroline had snuck back into the house and made it up here quietly to avoid having to deal with the tension downstairs. But, she really didn't think Caroline would knock, unless she was trying not to startle her by just walking in. Deciding she wouldn't find out until she answered the door she made her way to it and opened it as silently as possible. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was on the other side.

She backed cautiously away. "What do you want, Kol?"

Kol briefly studied her retreat and tense posture. He'd have to assure her that his intentions were benign before she called for help. He put up one hand in a placating gesture. "I was just coming up to offer you these." He held up his other hand which contained two blood bags. He watched her features shift. He could tell that her fear of him was the only thing that kept her from ripping them out of his hand. He took a few steps toward her, just close enough for her to take them. "It's okay, Elena. Elijah sent me up here with them," he told her.

Once she heard Elijah's name, Elena snatched the bags from his hand and quickly drained the first while staring at Kol. After she'd taken them from him, he'd backed up a couple of steps and began to look around the room she'd claimed as hers. She wasn't nearly as embarrassed for her face changing in front of him as she was with everyone else. Actually, she felt a small sense of pride that she'd managed to not attack him for the blood. Granted it was mostly out of fear of the unpredictable Original, but she'd still managed it. Small steps in the right direction were still good steps, she told herself.

After draining the first bag quickly, her hunger was lessened enough for her to ask a few questions. "Thank you for bringing these up to me, but why did Elijah send you up here with them? Why didn't he come himself or with you?"

He turned around from examining the few items that Caroline had brought to her from her house and smirked. "Well, to be honest, I told him that I wanted to bring them up to as a peace offering of sorts. I'm sure that he is lurking somewhere close by listening to make sure I don't do anything untoward. He seems very protective of you." He paused to gauge her reaction. She didn't look as though she was buying a word he was saying. He supposed he shouldn't blame her for that. After all, he'd tried to kill one of her friends and his brother had killed her once, tried to kill her a second time and his sister had killed her, inadvertently turning her into one of them. "I plan on staying in town with my siblings for a while and, since my brother will be helping with your transition, we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I figured that, even though we likely won't be friends, we can still be civil at the very least."

Elena just stared at him and tried to figure out if he was being genuine or not. Knowing that Kol was right and that Elijah would be close by monitoring their conversation, she didn't back up when he stepped closer to her and held out a hand. "So, for all of our sakes, shall we call a truce?" She looked from his hand to his face. Last time he'd offered one of them a handshake, he'd broken Matt's hand. But, any struggle would bring the vampires in the house rushing to her aid, so she decided to take her chances. After all, she owed it to Elijah to attempt to get along with Kol since she would never forgive their sister.

Kol watched her debate the pros and cons of burying the hatchet between them. She must have decided to accept his proposal because she squared her shoulders and took his hand. "A truce." When he went to pull his hand from hers, she tightened her grip, not to try to hurt him, but to keep him there. He stilled and decided to find out what else she had to say. "But, if you hurt my brother or my friends I will find a way to either have you desiccated or daggered."

He was astonished to say the least. He just stared at her for a moment before he felt a smirk coming to his lips. She was terrified, he could smell her fear, but she was still trying to protect her loved ones. He felt a grudging respect for her. He hadn't been sure what to think of her after getting three different versions of her personality from the three siblings who knew her. He saw that Elijah's and Nik's versions were closer to the truth than his sister's. Since he'd already promised Elijah he'd behave, a promise he did intend to keep for the foreseeable future, he decided to humor her. "Deal."

It was her turn to look surprised, but he saw the relief in her eyes. He released her hand and looked over to the window. He saw her turn her head as well. "It sounds as though your friend is back. Shall we go downstairs?" He held his arm out to her as a gentleman would to escort a lady.

She looked down at his arm and raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just trying to get me to go down there on your arm to piss off Damon."

"Yes, I am," he admitted with a devious smile. "Care to help me out with that? After all, I heard he's been angering you a good deal with the way he's been treating you. A little harmless annoyance would serve him right, don't you think?"

"You're terrible," she told him, but looped her arm through his. "God, he's going to explode."

* * *

As Caroline pulled up to the Gilbert house, she saw both Bonnie and Jeremy standing on the porch. She stopped the car and watched Bonnie give Jeremy a hug.

She could hear Jeremy whispering to Bonnie from where she sat. "I want to go with you. I want to see my sister."

"I know you do, but she's isn't safe to be around right now." Bonnie pulled back and took his hands as she tried to convince him.

"My sister wouldn't hurt me and there is a house full of vampires who can stop her if she tries."

Caroline saw Bonnie open her mouth to protest, but was cut off as Klaus rolled down the window and said, "Let the boy come and see his sister. He's right; there will be a house full of vampires to stop her if she loses control, not to mention a Bennett witch."

Bonnie turned to glare at him, but gave in when she saw the almost desperate look on Jeremy's face. "All right, just please be careful, Jeremy."

Caroline hit Klaus in the arm. When he turned to look at her surprised that she'd hit him, she hissed, "Why did you do that? Elena attacked Bonnie earlier today! She isn't ready to see him!"

"Relax, Love." When Caroline narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to deliver what he was sure to be a scathing remake, he held up a hand to stop her. "You may not think she's ready, but she needs his support right now. She needs to know that he's there for her, regardless of what she's become."

Caroline sat there in shock at his actual, supportive reason for wanting Jeremy there. She tried to gauge whether or not he was being honest and didn't have some ulterior motive. She couldn't detect any kind of deception or dishonesty in his eyes. Their conversation came to an abrupt end as Bonnie and Jeremy slide into the back seat and Klaus looked away from her and out the windshield.

The drive to the Boarding House was made in tense silence and Caroline had never been more grateful to pull up in front of it. She put the car in park and killed the engine and looked over at Klaus. "Did you at least call them to let them know that you're Klaus, not Tyler?"

He looked at her with an expression that was very Klaus but didn't belong on Tyler's face. "No, I figured I'd surprise them. I do like to make an entrance." He jumped out of the car before she could reply and started toward the house behind Bonnie and Jeremy.

Caroline rolled her eyes and whispered, "This should be fun," as she took off her seatbelt and grabbed her bag.

* * *

Elena walked down the stairs, arm in arm with Kol. She saw Elijah leaning against the wall as she came down the final flight. He straightened up and gave her a small smile before glaring at his brother. She turned to see Damon and Stefan walk out of the parlor. Damon looked livid and opened his mouth to yell at someone. She held her hand up. "Save it, Damon, I'm not in the mood."

She glanced at the door as Bonnie walked in followed by Jeremy. Her heart jumped seeing her brother and she let go of Kol to walk over to him. He wrapped his arms around her. "I know you want to wait to see me, but I didn't want to wait any more."

"Jeremy," she said, pulling back when she smelled his blood beneath the surface of his skin. "It isn't that I don't want to see you. I just don't want to hurt you." She felt tears prick her eyes at the very thought.

"You won't." He said it with conviction, wanting her to believe that he thought she could get through this.

"You don't know…" she trailed off, eyes widening with shock as she saw Tyler walk in the house. "Tyler," she breathed out his name. Releasing Jeremy, she blurred over to him, throwing her arms around him and knocking them both into the wall with her speed. "We thought you were dead," she said as she began to cry.

* * *

Klaus listened to the Doppelganger and her brother as they saw each other for what he guessed was the first time since she died. He walked into the house, intent on announcing to everyone that he was back, only to be knocked into the wall by a blur. He felt Elena lock her arms around him as she began to cry in earnest. His arms went around her for a second as she whispered, "We thought you were dead."

He allowed himself a moment to pretend that someone was actually this happy to see him before resentment toward Elena for her damned compassion and even more hatred toward Tyler surfaced. How could he have all these people care this much for him? He pushed Elena away from him and was a lot gentler with her than he wanted to be. He pretended it was to intimidate her when he announced who he was, as being this close to someone she was afraid of would definitely illicit a very different reaction than the one she was currently having. Secretly though, it was because of he had felt her compassion that, even though given to the wrong person, was still given to him for a moment.

He shook off the absurd thoughts and chalked them up to not being in his own body. It had to be Tyler's feelings that were affecting him that was all. He straightened up from the wall as Caroline pulled Elena back away from him with wide eyes. He smirked at Elena's confused look. "You're happy to see the wrong person, Sweetheart. Tyler's not in control right now. Though, after what he did to Caroline, you probably won't be nearly as happy to see him when he is back to his old self."

It was then that he saw the fear come over her. "Klaus," she gasped out.

He glanced at the rest of the occupants in the hall, his look lingering on his shocked, and dare he think, relieved siblings. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, how about we discuss how Bonnie is going to put me back into my body?" he asked the room at large.


End file.
